Lakers lead Nuggets, 59-49, at halftime

April 23rd, 2008, 9:01 pm · Post a Comment · posted by JANIS CARR, OCREGISTER.COM

Kobe Bryant only scored five points in the second half, but others stepped up as the Lakers used a 9-0 run early in the second quarter to pull away and lead, 59-49, at the half.

Coach Phil Jackson wanted the offense to be more active around the basket and he got his wish as Luke Walton came in and added five points, while Lamar Odom had four and Derek Fisher contributed eight points. Everyone who played scored.

The Nuggets continued to take Pau Gasol out of the offense, limiting him to two touches in the second quarter. He had just four points by halftime.

Allen Iverson (12 points) and J.R. Smith (10 points) were the leading scorers for Denver.

DID YOU SEE THAT?
Nuggets’ Linas Kleiza went flying under the basket, landing with one arm down and one leg in the air before crumpling to the floor. He held onto his right elbow for several moments before getting up to shoot two free throws.

He missed them both.

BTW
The real match-up of this series isn’t Kobe vs. A.I. How ‘bout Nene vs. D.J. Mbenga?

Seriously, both were on the court at the same time the second quarter, taking up a lot of space. Nene of Brazil is 6-foot-11, 250 pounds and Mbenga, a third-year player from the Congo, is 7-foot, 255 pounds.

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