Basketball News, NBA, Playoff news, watch NBA Play off games online for free

The Denver Nuggets just can't seem to keep their emotions or Kobe Bryant in check.

Bryant led a balanced offense with 22 points and the Los Angeles Lakers took a 3-0 lead in their first-round series, routing the flustered Nuggets 102-84 on Saturday.

Game 4 is Monday night, and the Nuggets are going to have to get more out of their All-Star duo of Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson if they hope to take the series back to the Staples Center.

For once, the Nuggets clamped down on defense, but their high-flying offense went AWOL as Anthony and Iverson had their worst performance together since the two superstars first teamed up 16 months ago.

"I was getting to the basket, I just wasn't finishing," Iverson said. "And the same thing happened to 'Melo."

Anthony and A.I. shot a combined 10-for-38 and finished with 16 and 15 points, respectively.

No thanks to the Lakers, either, suggested coach Phil Jackson.

"I thought our defense packed it in on them, but they missed some easy shots," Jackson said. "I told the team at halftime, 'They're not going to shoot like this for the whole game. They missed some close shots, some shots they usually make. We'll have to play better defense in the second half.'

"But they never showed up. They never got it going."

Iverson sat out all but 1:11 of the fourth quarter, when Nuggets coach George Karl emptied his bench, prompting Anthony to accuse the team of quitting.

"In a game like tonight, on our home court, us giving up as a whole is uncalled for," Anthony fumed. "Yeah. We quit. Everybody. From the coaches to the players, we quit. And I said it.

"I'm not blaming anyone. I'm not pointing the fingers at nobody. I didn't play worth a (expletive) tonight, and I can accept that. But as a competitor, there's no way that I should lay down and quit and lay down on my team like we did tonight."

Anthony said the Nuggets surrendered in the third quarter, although Karl didn't empty his bench until the fourth quarter.

"You could just sense it," Anthony said. "I'm saying 'we,' because I'm part of this, too. I'm saying I quit. We all just gave up."

At least one teammate concurred.

"That's the way it seemed," Kenyon Martin said. "Everybody came out of the game. A.I. came out, and he leads the league in minutes. It's frustrating."

"Well, I don't think I quit," Karl retorted. "... In the fourth quarter, I tried to find some answers. ... I don't think that's a fair, I think 'Melo's emotional right now, he's frustrated right now, as we all are."

Bryant said he never sensed the Nuggets had given up until the very end.

"Well, they're down 20-something points with two minutes to go," Bryant said. "But not until that point."

Bryant had a placid first half himself (8 points of 3-of-8 shooting) but scored nine quick points in the third quarter to put the Lakers ahead 64-51 and quiet the Pepsi Center crowd that loves to hate him.

Bryant has always played well in Colorado, where fans have persistently heckled him ever since he was charged with sexual assault at a ski resort in the Rocky Mountains in 2003, even after the criminal case was dismissed and a civil suit settled.

Anthony drew a technical foul -- Denver's seventh in the series -- after he was stripped on his way to the basket, leading to a breakaway by Bryant that stretched the Lakers' lead to 78-61 with 2:33 left in the third.

Los Angeles took an 83-64 lead into the fourth quarter and never looked back as Karl sent in the likes of Yakhouba Diawara, Chucky Atkins and Steven Hunter into the game.

Is that quitting? No way, said Eduardo Najera.

"We can point fingers but at the end of the day we missed shots. Tonight, we just missed a lot of layups, easy, wide-open shots," Najera said.

The Nuggets, who have lost seven straight playoff games, figured they could get to the rim and the foul line more than they had in the first two games in Los Angeles. They got to the rim all right, but the shots didn't fall and the whistles didn't sound.

By Karl's count, Anthony and Iverson were 1-for-20 on layups.

The Nuggets limped to the locker room trailing 53-46 at halftime with 'Melo and A.I. a combined 5-for-21, pretty much negating the boost they got from forward Linas Kleiza's start despite a hyper-extended elbow. He finished with 15 points and nine boards.

"Your spirits have to be broken somewhat if you're the home team after a game like today, but you don't make it to this level if you aren't resilient," Lakers guard Derek Fisher said. "You always come back the next time feeling you can do the things better that you didn't do the time before."

Iverson had no answers on this night.

"I've been in a lot of playoff series," he said. "I don't think I've ever been this frustrated."

Neither has Anthony.

"In my five years here, this is the first time I've felt like this," Anthony said. "This one hurt. It hurt bad."

Notes: Luke Walton added 15 points off the bench for Los Angeles, and Pau Gasol and Fisher each scored 14. ... Lakers F Ronny Turiaf, who lost 11 pounds and missed Game 2 with tonsillitis, was scoreless in three minutes. ... Nuggets C Marcus Camby was held scoreless in a playoff game for the first time since 2000.

The three NBA championships Kobe Bryant won during the early part of this decade filled him up, to be sure.

But now he says his appetite for a championship is greater than it has ever been, and more consuming than before he won.

"I'm a little hungrier now than I was the first time," Bryant said Friday, a serious tone in his voice.

All Bryant has done to feed this inner beast is average 40.5 points in his first two playoff games against Denver, the highest scoring average in these NBA playoffs.

He has made 50.9 percent of his field-goal attempts and guided the Lakers to a 2-0 lead over the Nuggets in the best-of-seven series that resumes today in Denver.

After he spoke up last summer and put pressure on the Lakers to improve, then saw how the team had grown and the potential it had, he put an equal amount of pressure on himself to make the most of the opportunity.

"It comes with the territory," Bryant said. "You can't be Superman and not deal with the pressure of dropping somebody when you go to rescue them."

Bryant was 21 when he won his first championship in 2000. He's 29 now and doesn't want to wait much longer.

"The first one, I was so young," he said. "Plus I was sharing that pressure with somebody else. Me and Diesel (Shaquille O'Neal) both had the pressure on us to kind of get it done -- he more so than I. Now the pressure is squarely on my shoulders to try and bring another championship here. It's something that I accept."

Bryant, who seems driven like few others in the game, sees his influence rubbing off on teammates.

"I don't expect them to have the same hunger that I do," he said. "It's not the same that I have, but they are driven enough to get it done. No question about it. They are all hungry."

The first task is getting by Denver. The Nuggets are up against it, knowing they can't fall into a 3-0 deficit, a hole no NBA team has climbed out of to win a series.

"We have to be a little more physical, or prepare for more contact or duress, I guess," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. "Play through things that will happen to you out there on the court -- the contact, and through fouls."

What about Jackson's hunger? He led Bryant to those three titles and returned in 2005 to lead the Lakers back to the mountaintop.

He hasn't won an NBA title since 2002, so many wonder if Jackson has that same hunger as Bryant.

"Well, I haven't had breakfast since 8:30. I'm very hungry right now," Jackson joked. "I had to come out here to talk to you guys and it's past my lunchtime. So yes, I am hungry. But I just want to win the series."

Jackson, tied with Celtics legend Red Auerbach for most NBA titles as a coach with nine, was asked if he is hungry to pass his one-time nemesis.

"I'll see you guys later," Jackson said and walked away, a smile on his face.

Turiaf Hopes to Play

Ronny Turiaf, who missed Game 2 with tonsillitis, practiced some Friday and said he hopes to play today in Game 3.

"I'm actually eating and drinking today," said Turiaf, who said he lost 11 pounds in the past week. "I might be tired when I play but I think I can help."

Reach Broderick Turner

The Denver Nuggets couldn't defend Pau Gasol in Game 1 or Kobe Bryant in Game 2.

So, what makes them think they can turn things around in their first-round playoff series against the Los Angeles Lakers?

"We're home, man," Allen Iverson said. "They got a chance to play in front of their home crowd, and we want that same type of advantage playing in front of ours."

The homecourt is about the only thing the Nuggets have successfully defended all season.

They rode the energy of the Pepsi Center to a 33-8 record, including a series of clutch must-win triumphs over the final six weeks that allowed them to reach the playoffs for the fifth straight season.

"It's our turn to hold serve," Nuggets coach George Karl said Thursday. "It's a great challenge, a lot of fun. The homecourt's been kind of our biggest ally all year long."

Game 3 is Saturday and Game 4 is Monday night.

The Nuggets looked haggard as they filtered out of film study Thursday, most of them not wanting to stop and talk about being in a 2-0 hole after allowing a staggering 250 points so far.

"I think it might just be a travel day of getting to bed at 4:30 in the morning," Karl said. "There's a heaviness to waiting sometimes. We'll have a good practice tomorrow. I thought we got a little bit better last night. We didn't get better enough to win the game, but we got a little bit better."

The Nuggets hung with the Lakers until the fourth quarter after watching Gasol tear them up for 36 points in a 128-114 loss in Game 1. But Bryant scored 19 points in a 4:19 stretch of the fourth quarter, leading L.A. to a 122-107 win Wednesday night.

The Nuggets, however, insist they'll show up Saturday with a swagger and not a stagger.

"My sense is all year long when this team had its true back to the wall, they've responded great and the homecourt's been a big part of that," Karl said. "I think there's an energy out there. Statistically there's all sorts of positives that come our way here. We play better defence here. We make people miss more shots here. ..."

And all those clutch wins late in the season give the Nuggets plenty of confidence they can come back on L.A.

"Well, to us they were pretty much like playoff games," Marcus Camby said. "Going down that stretch, especially, late March and all of April, were all must-wins. So, we pretty much know how to perform under pressure."

The Nuggets ranked next-to-last in the NBA by allowing 107 points a game in the regular season despite leading the league in both blocks (6.72) and steals (9.17). So, it's not surprising the Lakers have piled up 250 points.

"It's a high-paced game," Gasol said. "They keep it real fast, an up-and-down game. You take advantage of what they give you."

Opponents haven't had as much success against the Nuggets in Denver, and Bryant said it's imperative for the Lakers to duplicate their energy, execution and emotion on the road to change that.

"Not getting too high, not getting too low. Even keel, keeping our poise," Bryant said. "They're a great home team. I think altitude is a factor the first few minutes. They play with a lot of energy.

"I think we're doing OK, we're playing typical playoff basketball. That being said, we haven't put together four explosive quarters that I think we're capable of. The important thing is getting the Ws."

Lakers point guard Derek Fisher isn't expecting any surprises from the Nuggets in Game 3, either.

"I don't think you're going to see wholesale changes. They believe in their style of play," Fisher said. "Defensively, I think they'll play even more zone than we saw last night. I don't expect them to do too many things differently than they've done so far. I just expect them to do them better on their home court."

So do the Nuggets.

"We still feel good about ourselves," Linas Kleiza said. "We've got to do what we're supposed to do, and that's defend our homecourt. We've been good all year at our home, so it should be exciting if we do that and the series is back where it started."

Notes: Ronny Turiaf, who missed Game 2 with tonsillitis, is expected to make the trip to Denver on Friday. ... Karl on his son, Coby, playing against the Nuggets in Game 2: "It's a proud moment for the family that is to be cherished and celebrated. But it will not be done in the next two weeks."

Games like this are why you can't trust box scores. You could look at the numbers, see that Kobe Bryant scored 49 points, and think you had the story of the Lakers' 122-107 victory over the Nuggets in Game 2 of this opening round playoff series. You'd have no idea that Bryant and the Lakers were at their best during a five-minute stretch at the end of the third quarter when Kobe made only one shot.

That's when he took over the game in a manner reminiscent of a guy sitting in the baseline seats at Staples Center: Magic Johnson.
The score was tied when Bryant found Luke Walton for a layup and a foul. The next time down the court, Bryant fed Vladimir Radmanovic for a dunk. Three possessions later he threw the ball to Walton for a 3-pointer. All that giving brought him a gift in return, when Pau Gasol tossed an alley-oop that Bryant appeared to stop in mid-air before throwing it down. And Bryant closed out the quarter with a pass to Sasha Vujacic for another 3-pointer. Four of Bryant's 10 assists in that little stretch.

A 10-point advantage for the Lakers heading into the fourth quarter. Kobe's quarter.

"It's just about forcing them to make choices," Bryant said. "I knew in the third quarter they were going to try to zero in on me a little bit, try to Ttake me out of my groove.

"We're very used to those types of defenses. So my teammates are used to making cuts and taking advantage of it. I felt like it kind of softened them up for me to go back at it in the fourth."

A bunch of Walton and Vujacic body blows before Bryant could unleash the haymakers. The game's greatest closer put this one away with a flourish exceptional even by his standards, scoring 19 points in less than 4 ½ minutes.

After Bryant hit a 3-pointer to give him 46 points and put the Lakers up by 17 with 2 ½ minutes remaining, he took advantage of a pause while Carmelo Anthony shot free throws. Bryant walked by Marv Albert and Reggie Miller in the sideline announcer seats, pulled out his imaginary six-shooters and blew them off.

Nuggets guard J.R. Smith made the mistake of saying something to him, which only brought more pain. Bryant went at Smith the next time down the court, got a layup and-one to get to 49 points, one shy of the playoff career high he set against Phoenix in 2006.

"Better learn not to talk to me," Bryant said of Smith's jabbering. "You shake the tree, a leopard's gonna fall out."

The Nuggets shouldn't say anything to anyone right now. They picked up two more technical fouls in the fourth quarter, the first at a time when the Laker lead was still in single digits.

"As a team, I think we lost our focus, lost our composure," Carmelo Anthony said.

Sometimes it seems as if the Nuggets don't care if they win the series. In the second quarter George Karl sat Allen Iverson for what seemed as long as an afternoon at the DMV (in reality it was four minutes and 15 seconds). And even though Lakers backup big man Ronny Turiaf sat out with a sore throat, the Nuggets didn't make a point of attacking the Laker frontcourt players to get them in foul trouble.

Instead it was Denver's Kenyon Martin who fouled out halfway through the fourth quarter.

The Lakers know their way to win, and it requires getting everyone involved through the first three quarters. In the first quarter, Bryant had 20 points but the Lakers only had a one-point lead to show for it.

"Defensively, we couldn't find the combination of what to do," Phil Jackson said. "We were just a step behind defensively, they were attacking with a lot of confidence."

It wasn't that Bryant dominated the ball. He got transition baskets. He scored when the defense rotated away from him. One time a loose ball bounced his way, he gathered it up, didn't see anyone around and he calmly shot a 3-pointer.

And when a guy's shooting 60 percent, common sense dictates he should be taking all the shots. But that's not what got the Lakers to the top of the Western Conference this year. This was the season when a three-point drop in his scoring average coincided with a 15-win increase in the standings.

"You definitely play better when you're touching the ball and you're involved," said Walton, who had another big playoff performance with 18 points, seven rebounds and five assists. "Basketball is so much of a rhythm game and just being in the flow, not even realizing what's going on. When you're involved and touching the ball and making passes and making plays, it makes you involved in defense. You can read the court better, you can do all of the little things. It definitely helps."

Those were the Lakers of the third quarter, much more similar to the way they played this season.

Now the Nuggets need to make more adjustments. They went with Martin on Bryant again, but replaced Anthony Carter with Linas Kleiza in the starting lineup to avoid the size mismatches that allowed Pau Gasol to score 36 points in the first game. They tried zone defense. They put Smith on Bryant. None of it worked.

"The way he was going we could have put 10 people on the court and it probably wouldn't have been able to stop him," Allen Iverson said.

It's not about throwing everyone at Bryant. It's the way he has used every player on his team that's made the Lakers more of a threat this year, and certainly a class above the Nuggets in the first two games of this series.

J.A. Adande joined ESPN.com as an NBA columnist in August 2007 after 10 years with the Los Angeles Times. Click here to e-mail J.A.

The Nuggets could not have even hoped to contain Kobe Bryant in Game 2.

Bryant led all scorers with 49 points to go with 10 assists as the Lakers prevailed 122-107 at STAPLES Center on Wednesday to take a commanding 2-0 lead in the Western Conference first-round playoff series.

Pau Gasol added 18 points and 10 rebounds and Luke Walton scored 18 off the bench for Los Angeles. But it was Kobe's show as he went 18-of-27 from the floor and finished one point off his career playoff high. He scored 20 points in an electric first quarter and 25 in the half as the Lakers went into the lockerroom with a 10-point lead.

Bryant was replaced by Coby Karl, the son of Denver coach George Karl. It was the first time in NBA playoff history that a father has coached against his son.

The Nuggets played much better in the second half as Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony combined for 17 points in the third quarter. Iverson led Denver with 31 points and Anthony added 23.

Down 11 with 10:39 to play, Denver went on an 8-2 run to pull within five on J.R. Smith's 3-pointer with 10:25 to play. The Nuggets got within five again on Anthony's layup with 7:16 remaining, but Bryant heled trigger a 13-2 Lakers run with under seven minutes to play to help put the game out of reach.

Bryant scored 19 of the Lakers' final 24 points in the game.

The teams will square off again on in Game 3 on Saturday at 5:30 ET ON TNT.

To understand big-shot-Bob’s legacy, you have to see one play. That’s all. The background is simple: Sacramento was leading L.A. 2-1, Western Conference Finals. The Kings were also leading game four 99-97 with few ticks on the clock and, possibly, the Lakers’ season.

Or so we thought. The purple-and-gold had final possession. Kobe Bryant received the ball top-of-the-key; playing for the tie, he missed a tough drive left. Shaquille O’Neal couldn’t convert an easy put-back.

The Kings, in desperation, batted the ball to the top of the three-point arch. Waiting patiently was Horry. He gathered possession, calmly stroked the game-winning three, back-pedalling as time expired.

The Lakers won 100-99. The series may have been tied 2-2, but it was over. Three weeks later, L.A. won another NBA Title, while Sacramento has never recovered.

The fog on Kobe Bryant’s relationship with the Lakers has officially cleared. On Monday, the superstar made public what many have suspected for some time: he wants to stay long-term in Los Angeles. Check out the highlights from this story from the Associated Press:

On being a Laker:

"Absolutely. I’ve always wanted to be here. I just felt like I was in a position where I didn’t really have a choice. They wanted to go in an opposite direction. My legs aren’t as young as they used to be. Just let me know. I love the weather. I love my ’63 drop-top Impala. I love the 405 [freeway]. I love my guys."

On this season’s success:

“The journey we’ve been on is fun. It’s been a blast. With that being said, we play for titles. We want to win the championship. We’ll be disappointed if we don’t. But if it does happen, we’ll regroup and go at it again. We’ve got some great pieces here. Now it’s time to put it all together. We get that big fellow [Andrew Bynum] back down there and we’ll really be rolling."

My Quick Take: Bryant isn’t staying on the left coast because of the Impalas, warm weather, and freeways. Here are his true reasons for sticking in L.A.:

• Mamba is winning on his terms. During their championship run, Bryant played second fiddle to Shaq; the ultimate Robin, capable of taking over when Batman (O’Neal) was bricking free throws or grappling with his ‘spare tire’. Now the Lakers are winning and Bryant has his starring role.

• The Lakers finally got their business right. Zen-Master Phil re-signed. The front office seems more stable; Mitch Kupchak is in charge, no more black sheep members of the Buss family posting state of the franchise briefings on their myspace pages.

• This team will compete for years. Pau Gasol can play, Andrew Bynum will evolve into a top centre, and Lamar Odom is a well-rounded talent. Derek Fisher stabilizes and the bench is stacked.

He belongs in purple-and-gold. The number, eight or twenty-four, doesn’t matter. Could you see Bryant suiting up for another team?

Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson indicated Monday the team doesn't expect injured center Andrew Bynum to make a serious contribution any time soon.

When asked after practice if there was a risk of messing up team chemistry by playing 7-footers Bynum and Pau Gasol at the same time, Jackson replied: "I think without a doubt that Andrew would come off the bench and we would play him a little bit off the bench if there was any chance that he could come back and play again, but it's such a remote thing. We're not seriously thinking about it.''

Gasol had 36 points, 16 rebounds and eight assists in the Lakers' 128-114 victory over Denver on Sunday in Game 1 of their first round playoff series.

The 20-year-old Bynum averaged 13.1 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.1 blocked shots before injuring his left knee Jan. 13. He hasn't been cleared for practice, nor has forward Trevor Ariza, who hasn't played since breaking his right foot Jan. 20. Ariza averaged 6.5 points and 3.5 rebounds in 24 games after being acquired from Orlando on Nov. 20.

Jackson said Ronny Turiaf was sent home Monday because of a sore throat, but he hoped the backup forward/center would be available Wednesday night in Game 2 of the Lakers' first-round playoff series against the Denver Nuggets. And reserve center DJ Mbenga was hospitalized after a collision in a 2-on-2 game following practice. Team spokesman John Black said a CT scan showed Mbenga had bruised ribs on his right side and was listed as day-to-day.

In Denver, Nuggets coach George Karl said Monday there was a "good chance'' he would make a lineup change in Game 2.

"We talked about some lineup changes before yesterday,'' Karl said. "We decided to go with the guys that got us to the dance. There is a good chance there will be a change.''

Reserve Linas Kleiza scored a career playoff high 23 points in nearly 38 minutes, and fellow backup J.R. Smith added 15 points in almost 23 minutes in Game 1.

Karl also said he was "really disappointed'' with his team's defensive effort in the opener.

"I don't think we matched their playoff intensity and defensively, we got shocked by the high-low game of Gasol and (Lamar) Odom,'' Karl said. "We generally froze up in a big game, the first game of a series. I don't think we performed at a level we are capable of performing.''

Nuggets forward Kenyon Martin said he believes his team can make the necessary adjustments.

"We didn't do a real good job helping one another,'' Martin said. "It wasn't just a particular matchup. Most teams that win championships play defense. We want to be one of those teams.''

Teammate Marcus Camby agreed, saying: "Defense is a whole lot more important now. Defense is something we talked about all season long. We're not that bad a defensive team as it is being made out to be.''

Camby, the NBA's defensive player of the year last season, had only four points, seven rebounds and two blocked shots along with a team-high four turnovers in Game 1. He sat out the entire fourth quarter.

"I'm not frustrated with it,'' Camby said. "The guys that were in there were playing hard. I have to be ready to go on Wednesday.''

It feels blasphemous to even think it, much less say it aloud, but these Lakers, Kobe and Pau's Lakers that is, just might end up being better than Kobe and Shaq's dysfunctional, but brilliant bunches of the early 2000s.

It's still very, very early. And this Denver Nuggets team the Lakers easily dispatched 128-114 Sunday afternoon in Game 1 of their best-of-seven first-round playoff series seemed like it could implode at any moment.

But every time you watch Gasol play, and the way the Lakers play with him, and the way Kobe plays with him, when it all really gets rolling, and especially when the other team doesn't bother to play much defense, you can't help but think it.

These Lakers, Kobe and Pau's Lakers, could end up being better than any of those Diesel-powered teams.

"Pau is a great, great basketball player and this is the perfect offense for him," said Lakers forward Luke Walton, who is one of just three Lakers who played with both O'Neal and Gasol.

"When we get everyone involved, and (Pau) is in the middle, finishing plays and making passes, we are a very tough team to beat."

The triangle offense, in simplistic terms, is designed to create spacing, open passing lanes, and easy jump shots. Gasol excels at all three of these skills, which is exactly why the Lakers have wanted to trade for him for the past two years.

Sunday afternoon, Gasol had his best game as a Laker, dropping 36 points, grabbing 16 rebounds and most importantly, dishing out eight assists.

"I think this offense has freed him up a little bit and showcased more of what he can do instead of being in the post all the time," Bryant said of the Lakers Spanish acquisition.

The Lakers, during the Shaq-Kobe era, ran the triangle offense, but like they are now. During the 2004 NBA Finals, their last dance before that dynasty fell, the triangle was so ineffective the Lakers dumbed it down, then largely abandoned it.

But now with Gasol in the middle, it looks elegant. Simple even.

Sunday, he had the Denver Nuggets chasing the ball around the court, franticly trying to catch up. By the end, they were so frustrated, Allen Iverson blew up at a referee and got himself ejected, Anthony Carter was slamming Bryant into the basket support and Kenyon Martin was jawing with him during breaks in the action.

They tried to make adjustments. Coach George Karl called some zone defenses, tried the 6-foot-9 Martin on the 6-foot-6 Bryant, then the ultra-quick J.R. Smith on him. But nothing worked.

The Lakers were just too good. Too fast, too smooth, to smart.

After the game, Karl came into the interview room looking ragged. He wore a simple, team issued long-sleeve t-shirt, then, half-heartedly tried to claim this was just one game.

"I don't think anybody in our lockeroom is deflated," he said, not seeming entirely convinced of his own words. "I think it's good we have two days to put some pieces together and study the film."

In other words, figure out just how and why and what the Lakers did to beat them so easily.

"I don't think it was Gasol," Karl said. "I think the film will show the L.A. Lakers tore us up," Karl said. "I think Coby Karl could've scored the baskets."

The other thing, and it's a big thing actually, is that Kobe and Pau's Lakers actually seem to dig each other. Their elegant, team-oriented, ball-sharing approach on the court has created a happy lockeroom.

Players on the bench cheer for those in the game, spend half their post-game interviews lauding the play of their teammates and celebrating their shared achievements.

Gasol has the perfect temperament for this club. He's happy to be Kobe's running mate and let Bryant hear the M-V-P chants.

And with Odom, who was actually being criticized last year for not being selfish enough, as the No. 3 option, a rather harmonious pecking order has been created.

"We're actually a very close team," Odom said. "This is a team where one day on the plane, I might have a conversation with Ira Newble, the next day might be Sasha, the next day might be Pau. We try not to get segregated at all."

The Lakers of the Shaq-Kobe years were anything but. In fact, they were defined so entirely by their discord you wondered if they began to need the "creative tension" in order to rev the engines up.

Phil Jackson had to be in full Zen-master mode just to keep things to a war of snippy words and glowering looks.

To some extent, Bryant still needs that dynamic to get himself into rhythm and his competitive fire lit. But now that energy is directed outward, at opponents, at referees - he led the league in technical fouls after all - and even the occasional slight by the media.

Sunday, Bryant began the game in a woeful shooting slump, missing nine of the first 10 shots he took. At first, he tried to stay poised to correct the problem. But then he looked up and was still just 5 for 20 from the floor.

It wasn't until Carter slammed him into the basketball support midway through the third quarter that Bryant found his touch. And from there, he proceeded to jaw with Martin loud enough to draw a technical foul during an exchange at the free-throw line late in the third.

"Just a healthy conversation," Bryant joked, when asked what he and Martin were talking about.

And about whether the chippyness of Sunday's second half would color the rest of the series with angry subplots, Bryant said:

"Hopefully," he said with a laugh, then turned serious.

"It's playoff basketball, this is when the game is most fun. Guys want to win and they're going to commit hard fouls, play physical, talk a little trash. "

After chasing the Lakers around Sunday afternoon, that's all the Nuggets had left. They got frustrated, lost their cool and all but threw their hands up by the end.

These Lakers are really good.

It's early, so don't say it too loudly just yet, but they might end up being great.

Denver Nuggets looks towards winning the Lakers Game

They embody the NBA's fusion of hip-hop and pick and roll, oozing of swagger, boasting of athleticism and as the unofficial titleholders of the team with the most body art.

These Denver Nuggets are star-studded and expensive, carrying one of the league's highest payrolls.

They scratched and clawed their way to the playoffs, finally curling their fingers around the Western Conference's eighth spot and earning a first-round matchup against the Lakers.

And for Denver, as with most playoff teams, there is praise and promise, scattered somewhere along with concern and compatibility.

TNT's Charles Barkley recently labeled Denver talented but also as "the most disappointing team in the league."

And the fallout from Carmelo Anthony's arrest this week on suspicion of drunk driving is yet to be ascertained.

"I think our team has to worry a little bit more about ourselves than most playoff teams," Nuggets Coach George Karl told reporters in Denver on Friday. "If we turn the light switch on and [keep] it on, we'll be fine. Sometimes it's a dimmer. I'm sure there's some sports psychologist out there who can figure it out."

It doesn't take one to figure out that something went right. It went right to the tune of 50 wins in Denver, the first time the Nuggets reached that mark since the 1987-88 season.

Largely because they can score.

The names alone of Anthony (25.7 points a game) and guard Allen Iverson (26.4 points) are enough to give an opposing coach insomnia.

They are major factors why the Nuggets won 10 regular-season games by 20 points or more.

The play of Denver's reserves -- outside threats J.R. Smith, who averaged 15.5 points in March and April, and Linas Kleiza -- will also be critical if the Nuggets are to win the series.

The Nuggets' problem is they like scoring so much, they let other teams do it at will too. Denver lost seven games by 20 points or more.

Their defense is largely centered on Marcus Camby, the league's reigning defensive player of the year, who patrols the paint and is assisted every once in a while by forward Kenyon Martin.

The team is rounded out by others who went through the regular season feigning as much interest in defense as a weekend hoopster playing at a local gym.

The Nuggets rise and fall with a risk-and-reward defense. Often Denver goes for steals and the chance at a fastbreak if it is there and often if it is not. "They probably have more talent than anyone in the NBA," Barkley said. "If they just tried to play defense, they could be scary."

Former Laker Michael Cooper, who coached the Nuggets for 14 games before Karl took over, said the Nuggets have an added dimension.

Playing in a high-altitude city, the Nuggets look to run their opponents until the other team's knees wobble. "And when they come to sea level, they try to turn it up even more," Cooper said.

But they also have the added baggage of Anthony's situation.

Compared to other stars in his draft class, including LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, Anthony seems to have had the hardest time assimilating into the corporate components of the game.

Anthony apologized for his latest arrest, but he has been in several high-profile incidents since entering the NBA in 2003. He consented to a blood test in the DUI case, but the results won't be available for several days. His first court appearance is scheduled for May 14.

"Carmelo has had his off-the-court clashes in the past, but once you walk into that gym you leave everything behind you," Cooper said, before adding a small jab. "They take a bus to the gym, so it shouldn't affect him."

Instead, Cooper said, Anthony probably will be more affected by sharing the court with Iverson.

Both are scorers who thrive on one-on-one play. But because Iverson has the ball in his hands as a guard, he is able to more often create shots for himself.

"When I coached [Anthony], he was the go-to guy," Cooper said. "He's not that now. He's a second option. . . . If he's not the first option, he's a little more selfish and he's going to look to his shot and look to score. [Iverson] can come and take three or four shots and then [Anthony] is going to be looking for the next one even if it could be a bad shot."

Anthony was remorseful when he issued his apology, and at Friday's practice he appeared relaxed and focused in front of Denver reporters.

He is unflinching in his belief that the Nuggets can pull off an upset in his bid to get past the first round of the playoffs for the first time in his career.

"We're confident," he said. "We're the underdog right now. I love being in this situation."

In the LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS, Rich Hammond writes “the expected return of Lamar Odom to the Lakers' starting lineup on Friday will send one of his teammates to the bench, and the smart money seems to be on forward Luke Walton. Barring any last-minute setbacks, Odom, who underwent shoulder surgery in May, will play Friday. Last season, Odom partnered with Walton in the starting frontcourt, but that could change now. Phil Jackson did indicate that Odom would start, rather than ease his way back into the lineup as a reserve.”

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 6 (AP) -- Peja Stojakovic made a franchise-record 10 3-pointers, and Chris Paul established another Hornets team mark with 21 assists Tuesday night in New Orleans' 118-104 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.

Stojakovic missed just three of 13 shots from behind the arc and finished with 36 points. He was just 2-of-8 shooting two-pointers. The Hornets went 14-of-25 on 3-pointers.

Paul had 19 points to go with his assists. David West added 22 points for the Hornets as they ran their record to 4-0 to tie their best start, set last season.

Kobe Bryant had 28 points for Los Angeles, taking just 20 shots and making 11 of them. He also had seven assists and six rebounds. Ronny Turiaf had 15 points and seven rebounds, and Andrew Bynum had 13 rebounds.

Stojakovic's 3-point bonanza rewrote the Hornets' record of eight, set by David Wesley in 2002. The former team mark for assists was 19 by Muggsy Bogues in 1989.

Stojakovic hit three consecutive 3-pointers to close out the third quarter as New Orleans opened an 89-80 lead and stayed in front the rest of the way. He scored 17 in the period, including going 5-of-7 from behind the arc.

Bryant took as many shots in the third quarter, seven, as he had in the entire first half, making four of them and scoring 10 points.

Los Angeles was without Kwame Brown, who sat out the game with bursitis in his right heel. Brown, averaging 5.7 points and 7.3 rebounds this season, said he expects to be able to play on Friday when the Lakers host Minnesota.

New Orleans never trailed in the first half, although Bryant made three free throws to draw the Lakers even at 55 with 9 seconds remaining in the second quarter after they trailed by 12 early in the period.

But Paul responded with a short jumper with 1.1 seconds before halftime left to give the Hornets a 57-55 lead at the break.

Notes: Los Angeles F Lamar Odom, who has been recuperating from shoulder surgery, is slated to make his season debut on Friday. ... The average price of a Lakers season ticket is $89.24, an increase of 4.5 percent from last season and the highest in the NBA, according to Team Marketing Report's survey. The average ticket in the NBA is $48.83, and the Hornets, in their first season in New Orleans, charge a league-low $24.58. ... New Orleans coach Byron Scott was a guard for the Lakers when Bryant came straight out of high school to join them. "Kobe was the one who was in the back of the bus reading Time Magazine,'' Scott said. "He wasn't reading the sports pages. So you could tell from a mental standpoint that he was a little bit farther ahead than an 18-year-old, and he already had goals and knew what he wanted to do. He point-blank told be one day when I asked him `How do you want to be perceived in this league?' he said, `I want to be the best player in this league.' I think he's been able to accomplish that goal.''

In the LOS ANGELES TIMES, Mike Bresnahan writes “in case the Lakers were feeling they hadn't experienced enough good fortune over the last few days, the health gods finally smiled upon them after creating all sorts of havoc last season. Forward Lamar Odom practiced Monday and could play Friday against Minnesota. He took part in some contact drills at practice, but, as he said, won't "rip it up" until practices later this week. He will not play tonight against New Orleans.”

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 4 (AP) -- Kobe Bryant has had so many buzzer-beaters and 50-point games, he's lost count. When he blocks a dunk attempt - now that's memorable.

The Los Angeles Lakers were leading by seven points midway through the fourth quarter when Bryant made the ultimate defensive stop on Utah's Andrei Kirilenko. The two-time NBA scoring champ then got six of his 33 points in the final 4 1/2 minutes to secure a 119-109 victory over the Jazz on Sunday night.

"I really really enjoy that challenge, because it's a mano-a-mano type of thing where somebody challenges you to meet you at the rim,'' Bryant said after his third block of the season and 470th of his career.

"When you have that type of situation, they see that you're not going to take a charge because you're just lining them up. So they know they have to either go over the top of you or go through you. I saw him coming down on the wing, and I just tried to time it and get up there and see if I could catch him. I timed it pretty well.''

Playing their second straight game against a reigning division champion, the Lakers made it two in a row after humbling the Suns 119-98 at Phoenix on Friday night. Bryant was 13-for-19 from the field and fellow guard Derek Fisher added 19 points, including a career-high 13 free throws.

Andrew Bynum had 15 points and nine rebounds off the bench before fouling out with 55 seconds to play.

"Andrew's always a little big more reserved and a little bit more shy when he plays, but it looks like he's starting to come out of his shell a little bit,'' Bryant said. "I think having games like this, - particularly against a team like Utah that's very physical - I think it helps out his confidence a lot.''

Deron Williams led Utah with 26 points and Carlos Boozer added 23 points and 12 rebounds.

"We have the talent and strength to do a lot of great things, but we have to put the game on the court,'' Boozer said.

Trailing 82-81 after three quarters, the Lakers pulled ahead 88-82 on Bynum's fast-break dunk and a pair of driving layups by backup point guard Jordan Farmar, the second one resulting in a three-point play with 10:44 remaining. Farmar finished with 12 points.

"Jordan's always had that chip on his shoulder, and I've liked him from day one because of that,'' Bryant said. "He did a fantastic job, and that's what we need him to do. He did it well for us last year and he continues to get better.''

The Lakers built their lead to 109-96 with 3:11 to play, getting a three-point play from Bynum and a pair of baskets by Bryant to help settle the outcome.

"We had a big second half,'' coach Phil Jackson said. "Our second (unit) came off the bench and really gave us a ballgame. There was good energy.''

Fisher missed all seven of his shots in the first half, but made his first three field-goal attempts in the second half and added a pair of free throws that gave the Lakers a 72-71 lead with 3:54 left in the third quarter. Fisher played the final 4:49 after Farmer gave the Lakers the spark they needed at both ends of the court.

Neither team led by more than six points in the first half, which ended with Utah taking a 51-46 lead on a 3-pointer by Williams and a dunk by Kirilenko in the final 39 seconds.

The Lakers led 25-21 after one quarter despite committing eight turnovers in the first 9 minutes. Three of them were by Bryant - two on errant passes and one on a palming violation. Los Angeles finished with 19 turnovers.

Fisher spent last season with the Jazz, playing in all 82 regular-season games. But during the playoffs, his infant daughter Tatum was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor in her left eye and Fisher left the team temporarily to accompany his wife Candace to New York to meet with a specialist about possible treatment.

Fisher returned to help the Jazz reach the Western Conference finals, then asked the club to release him with three years left on his contract so he could focus on getting his daughter the best medical care. The club complied, and he ended up signing a three-year, $14 million contract with the Lakers - the team he won three NBA titles with during his first eight years in the league.

Notes: The Lakers have removed press row from the floor at the baseline near the home team's bench and replaced it with 15 courtside seats, each of which goes for $2,300 per game. The total season revenue from the extra seats comes to $1,483,500 - including the two extra dates for the preseason Staples Shootout. ... The last time the Jazz played the Lakers at Staples Center, Bryant scored 52 points to fuel a 132-102 victory.

Video Review from Los Angeles Lakers - Phoenix Suns 119-98
Video Review from Cleveland Cavaliers - New York Knicks 110-106. LeBron Scores 45 points
Video Review of Boston Celtics - Washington Wizards 103-83. Kevin Garnett leads his team to victory

L.A. Lakers 119, Phoenix 98

PHOENIX, Nov. 2 (AP) -- Vladimir Radmanovic made all four of his 3-pointers and scored 19 points, and Kobe Bryant added 16 points and 11 rebounds, leading the Los Angeles Lakers to a stunning 119-98 rout of listless Phoenix in the Suns' home opener on Friday night.

The capacity crowd at US Airways Center booed the home team, often, for the first time in recent memory as the Suns lost at home to the Lakers for the first time in the regular season since Steve Nash came to Phoenix in 2004.

Phoenix, the three-time defending Pacific Division champion, fell behind by 17 in the second quarter, 29 in the third and an embarrassing 33 in the fourth, giving up a seemingly endless series of layups, dunks and open jumpers.

Radmanovic, questionable before the game because of a sore throat, shot 6-of-7. Bryant, coming off a 45-point game in Los Angeles' season-opening loss to Houston, was just one of the guys in this one as five Lakers reached double figures.

The Lakers shot 57 percent, 8-of-13 from 3-point range. Andrew Bynum had 14 points and 13 rebounds.

Leading 63-50 at the half, the Lakers outscored Phoenix 27-11 to go up 90-61 with just under two minutes left in the third quarter on Ronny Turiaf's dunk, on a pass from Bryant.

After Boris Diaw scored four, Radmanovic made a 3-pointer from the corner at the buzzer and Los Angeles led 95-67 entering the fourth.

Amare Stoudemire was 2-for-10 shooting for four points and had one rebound in 24 miserable minutes for Phoenix.

Nash had 19 points but only three assists and sat out the fourth quarter, as did most of the Lakers' starters. Leandro Barbosa led the Suns with 23, 17 in the fourth quarter. Shawn Marion had 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Grant Hill scored 12 in his first home game for the Suns.

In a late-game exchange with the Lakers' coaching staff during a timeout, Phoenix coach Mike D'Antoni shouted "We're good. We've got three more games.''

After giving up 58 first-half points in Seattle in their opener on Thursday night, the Suns were even worse, and this time the lousy defense lasted the whole game.

The Suns were bad from the start, and Bryant was only a role player in a 17-2 Lakers' run that put Los Angeles ahead 25-14 after Jordan Farmar's two free throws with 2:38 to go.

In all, the Lakers outscored Phoenix 31-10 in the last nine minutes of the opening quarter to lead 33-20. It got worse for the Suns in the second quarter.

Luke Walton's uncontested inside basket put the Lakers up 48-31 with 7:23 left in the half.

Phoenix cut it to 56-44 when Brian Skinner made one of two free throws 3 minutes before halftime. The Lakers stretched it to 17 again, the last time at 63-46 when Sasha Vujacic made two free throws with 40 seconds to play. Nash scored the last four of the half to cut the margin to 13.

Notes: Nash was presented with the J. Walter Kennedy citizenship award before the game. The award, announced earlier, is for outstanding community service. ... D'Antoni has 199 victories as Phoenix coach. ... The Lakers beat Phoenix for the third time in their last 13 regular-season meetings, and just the second in 12 tries with Nash in the Suns lineup. ... Former Suns owner Jerry Colangelo will be inducted into the team's "ring of honor'' at halftime of Sunday night's game against Cleveland. ... The Suns were outrebounded 54-34.

KC Johnson of the Chicago Tribune reports on John Paxson pulling the Bulls out of the Kobe Bryant sweepstakes:

There’s not a deal to be done. It’s time to put it to rest," Paxson said. "Today sends a message that our guys don’t have to worry about anything anymore."

My Quick Take: The player seen as the next Michael Jordan won’t be joining the Chicago Bulls. Yesterday, the Bulls dropped out of the Kobe Bryant sweepstakes because they were getting squeezed over Luol Deng.

The Lakers wanted Deng included in any trade. And Bryant, through his no-trade clause, threatened to veto any deal if the Bulls sent Deng out west. For what it’s worth, Chicago wanted to keep their young small forward.

Here’s the real question: can Bryant have it both ways? The All-Star requested a trade, so how can he justify dismissing potential suitors through his no-trade clause?

L.A. was only accommodating their disgruntled star by trying to send him to Chicago-a team he wanted to play for. So Bryant, after requesting a trade, shouldn’t stop the Lakers from getting a good deal, right?

But the all-world guard can do as he pleases. Back in 2004, Bryant’s agent negotiated the best contracts in sports. The Lakers gave him a no-trade clause, a trade-kicker payment, the option to get 70% of his annual salary up-front, and a ’max’ contract.

Now Bryant says where and who. He picks where he wants to play and, in the case of Deng, who with. After all, why leave L.A. for another losing situation?

But Bryant made his bed with the Lakers. Now he should lie in it. Kobe, waive the no- trade clause and accept some responsibility for a situation you helped create.

Copyed

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Chicago Bulls general manager John Paxson said that trade talks on Kobe Bryant with the Los Angeles Lakers have ended for now and downplayed the notion that the teams were ever on the verge of a deal.

“There’s not a deal done,” he said Thursday. “There’s not going to be a deal done. All the things that were out there were really unfair to all of us who were trying to do our jobs. The misinformation … I think gets in the way of the process. It’s just such a complicated thing and we kind of put it to rest now.”

Paxson said they discussed “parameters,” but the sides “never got down to the nuts and bolts of it because there was never a deal to be done. That’s the reality of it.”

But Paxson was quoted in the Chicago Sun-Times Thursday as saying he could not rule out the possibility of reopening talks on Bryant.

“‘Who knows?” he said. “‘The reality now is it’s done. There are a lot of people out there searching for information, and it becomes ridiculous half the time. I’m not going to separate fact from fiction because there’s so much fiction out there.”

Paxson expressed concern that the flurry of rumors surrounding Bryant would have an adverse affect on his team’s focus and execution.

“It’s like this every trade deadline, too,” he said in the Sun-Times story. “People want to get a story, and they’ll go to any limit. I didn’t see myself quoted or anybody from the Lakers quoted. I wanted to try and go through this the right way. The fortunate thing is I know what really happened and [Lakers GM] Mitch Kupchak knows what really happened, and that’s all that really matters.”

Bryant drew some boos during introductions before the Lakers’ season-opening 95-93 loss to Houston on Tuesday, after calling the front office a mess and asking to be traded during the offseason. The jeers turned to cheers as Bryant scored 18 of his 45 points in the fourth quarter to lead a comeback.

The trade deadline isn’t until February, so it’s possible talks between the Lakers and Bulls could resume.

“I think today sends a message that our guys don’t have to worry about anything right now,” Paxson said.

Then again, coach Scott Skiles wondered: “What’s resolving anything in all sports until the trading deadline?”

“Just because this rumor at some point dies down, does that mean another one’s not going to crop up in two weeks?” he asked. “It’s ongoing, it’s all the time. Now, this is one that involves a very, very high profile player, so I understand the extra attention on it.”

With the rumors swirling, Chicago played a flat first half and was just as bad at the end in losing the season opener 112-103 at New Jersey on Wednesday. Just about every Bull’s name has surfaced in rumors, and Luol Deng acknowledged the Kobe questions are wearing on him.

“I am,” he said when asked if he’s annoyed by them. “But you guys want to get to the bottom of it so I’ve just got to keep answering your questions.”

Several issues stand in the way of a Bryant deal.

Bryant has a no-trade clause and can opt out in the summer 2009, although he has said he wouldn’t mind playing in Chicago.

ESPN.com’s Chris Sheridan, citing a source with knowledge of the trade talks, reported Wednesday that Bryant continually threatened to veto almost any deal in which Deng would be included. Bryant wants to be sure that the team he joins has enough talent remaining to compete for the NBA title.

Paxson does not want to gut his roster or part with Deng, who appeared to be on the verge of stardom last season.

Paxson and Bulls chairman Jerry Reinsdorf met with Bryant when he was a free agent in 2004. He wound up re-signing with the Lakers for seven years and $136.4 million, with that opt-out clause.

“He liked what he heard,” Paxson said. “For that reason, he likes the Chicago Bulls, which is obviously flattering.”

But he apparently won’t be joining them in the near future.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

link