Associated Press
LOS ANGELES — The Denver Nuggets ran the court and drove the lane with all the intensity they lacked in their playoff opener. They double-teamed Andrew Bynum, harassed Pau Gasol and scored relentlessly in the paint.
Nope, still not enough to beat Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers. Not even enough to get a lead.
Bryant scored 38 points, Bynum followed up his triple-double with a career playoff-high 27 points and nine rebounds, and the Lakers weathered Denver’s late rally for a 104-100 victory Tuesday night, taking a 2-0 series lead.
Gasol had 13 points, 10 rebounds and five assists for the third-seeded Lakers, who still haven’t trailed in two games despite several dicey moments in Game 2. They survived a much-improved effort by the Nuggets and Ty Lawson, who scored 25 points and led the fourth-quarter charge.
Bryant was too sharp in his 83rd career 30-point playoff game, more than anybody except Michael Jordan. After last season’s second-round ouster in their failed quest for a threepeat, Bryant and his teammates are healthier and happier — and they’ve been too much for Denver.
“I think we’re just playing much better,” Bryant said. “It’s tough to play against us, because there’s legitimately three guys you have to double-team.”
Game 3 is Friday in Denver.
The Lakers didn’t get out of Staples Center without a little drama. Los Angeles’ 19-point lead in the third quarter dwindled to four with 3 minutes to play, but Ramon Sessions scored four key points in the final 1:14 before Bryant’s icing free throws with 9.4 seconds left.
“I think losing last season, and the way we lost, we’re approaching this postseason much more focused,” Gasol said. “We’re not overlooking any team, any game. We’re doing whatever it takes to be successful. … Overall, I think we played well again. We just allowed them to play their game a little more than in the first game.”
Lawson shook his awful series opener with 17 second-half points, but the sixth-seeded Nuggets lost their ninth straight road playoff game despite playing much closer to their preferred speedy tempo after the Lakers muzzled them in Game 1.
Kenneth Faried had 14 points and 10 rebounds while Danilo Gallinari and Corey Brewer added 13 points apiece, but Denver still couldn’t consistently defend Bryant or negate Bynum, who played another outstanding low-post game on both ends until disappearing a bit in a three-point fourth quarter.
“It’s closer, (but) when you get down 19 points and try to battle back, it takes a lot of energy,” Lawson said. “I feel like we learned a couple of things from this game. At one point in the game, we’ve got to be up. It’s tough to be battling back the whole game.”
Sessions scored 10 of his 14 points in the fourth quarter for Los Angeles, which played just enough fast-break ball of its own to stay ahead of Denver — and now the Lakers are halfway to the second round. They have only lost one playoff series in franchise history after winning the first two games, going 42-1.
A 14-5 run in the final minutes eventually trimmed Los Angeles’ lead to 98-84, but Sessions hit a teardrop layup with 1:14 to play, and Bryant made a slick steal on the other end. JaVale McGee’s tip-in with 30 seconds left trimmed the Lakers’ lead back to four, but Sessions and Bryant hit their free throws.
“The only thing I wish is the fight of this game is what we had in Game 1,” Denver coach George Karl said. “But we’re young, and we’re learning. You saw us play a lot of Nuggets basketball today. I think it’ll get a little better in Game 3. I think the home court will be good for us. We haven’t played a good defensive game yet, so we’ll learn from this.”
Jordan Hill shook off brewing legal troubles to contribute six points and 10 rebounds for the Lakers, who used just three reserves. Denver’s bench outscored the Lakers’ reserves 35-8.
Bynum blocked just two shots after swatting 10 in the Lakers’ series-opening victory, but Denver minimized his dominance with home run passes, speedy outlets and 30 fast-break points.
Karl attempted to help through the media after Game 1, saying Bynum and the Lakers played illegal defense constantly during the opener. Karl tried another gambit before Game 2, saying Staples Center is not a noisy, intimidating road building, but more like “a Broadway stage.”
The Lakers were called for no illegal defenses in Game 2, and their fans were screaming for encores.
Denver cut Los Angeles’ lead to four points late on consecutive hustle plays by Faried, but Bryant scrapped for a loose ball on one end and led the break to the other, feeding Bynum for a dunk — his first points of the fourth quarter — and a foul with 2:15 to play.
Hill produced another strong performance off the Lakers’ bench a day after news broke of a felony assault charge against him in Houston, where he played for the Rockets before a late-season trade. Hill said Tuesday night he was “shocked” by the charges, but thinks he won’t miss any time in the Lakers’ championship quest.
76ERS 109, BULLS 92
CHICAGO — Jrue Holiday scored 26 points, Lou Williams added 20 and Philadelphia evened its first-round series in the Bulls’ first game since Derrick Rose’s season-ending knee injury.
The point guard received a standing ovation and waved to the crowd as he limped onto the court to present the game ball, then watched from a suite as the 76ers outscored Chicago 36-14 in the third quarter to take an 83-69 lead.
Game 3 is Friday in Philadelphia.
Holiday was 11 of 15 from the field, and the Sixers shot 59 percent overall. Evan Turner chipped in with 19 points, seven rebounds and six assists.
Joakim Noah led the Bulls with 21 points and eight rebounds and John Lucas III scored 15 points.
Rose missed 27 games during the regular season because of a variety of injuries, and the Bulls went 18-9 in those games.
CELTICS 87, HAWKS 80
ATLANTA — Paul Pierce had 36 points and 14 rebounds and Boston wiped out Atlanta’s 11-point lead in the second half even without point guard Rajon Rondo.
The series is tied 1-1. Game 3 is Friday night in Boston, and Rondo will be back for that one having sat out a one-game suspension for bumping an official in the opener.
The Hawks took a 65-54 lead late in the third quarter. But Boston sliced it to 66-61 by the end of the period. Pierce hit his first 3-pointer of the series after missing 10 to stretch the lead to 79-72 with 3½ minutes left.
Pierce finished 12 of 26 from the field and dropped to his knee and Tebowed after a free throw that locked it up with just a minute to go.
Kevin Garnett had 15 points and 12 rebounds for Boston.
