Lakers go up 2-0
There would be no blown lead in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals. Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers saw to that.
Bryant scored 22 points, Lamar Odom added 20 points and 12 rebounds, and the Lakers took command late in the second quarter to rout San Antonio 101-71 Friday night in Los Angeles for a 2-0 lead over the Spurs.
Games 3 and 4 in the best-of-7 series will be played in San Antonio, where the defending NBA champion Spurs have a 6-0 record in the postseason and have won 20 of their last 22 games.
Only 14 of the 222 teams to fall behind 2-0 in best-of-7 NBA playoff series have come back to win, including the Spurs in their second-round matchup with the New Orleans Hornets.
But this figures to be a much tougher assignment – San Antonio has to be perfect at home and win a game at Staples Center, where the Lakers are 7-0 in the postseason and have won 13 straight.
The Lakers had to rally from a 20-point third-quarter deficit to win the opener 89-85, and didn’t take their first lead in that game until the final 3 minutes.
They never trailed in Game 2 – the third time in their last four playoff games that happened. After a basket by Tim Duncan enabled the Spurs to forge the only tie, the Lakers scored the final nine points of the second quarter for a 46-37 halftime lead.
San Antonio would get no closer.
The Lakers had reason to be leery as the second half began, considering the Spurs outscored them 14-2 to begin the third quarter in Game 1 for a 65-45 lead before the Lakers stormed back.
But Bryant scored seven points in the first 2 minutes of the third period and Odom added seven more during a 20-10 run that gave the Lakers a 66-48 lead.
It was 74-57 entering the fourth quarter, and the Lakers made it a blowout by outscoring the Spurs 14-3 to begin the final period to make it 88-60. Reserves played the rest of the way for both teams.
“I think they had an off-night,” Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. “I think they had some tired legs and I think that’s what happens sometimes.
“You get to playing a lot of playoff games back to back, we’re every other day in this situation. Kind of crept up on them, perhaps.”
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich agreed to some extent, saying: “I think being out of gas had somewhat of an effect, but not as much as the good play of the Lakers. We definitely have to have more people playing better to get this done.”
Barkley case closed
A Clark County (Nev.) prosecutor says Charles Barkley is off the legal hook and the case on his $400,000 gambling debt is closed.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Bernie Zadrowski said that the retired NBA star sent a $40,000 check to pay statutory and bad check processing fees.
Earlier this week, Barkley paid $400,000 to Wynn Las Vegas after the resort filed a May 14 civil complaint in Nevada state court. It alleged Barkley failed to repay four $100,000 casino markers, or loans, received last Oct. 18 and 19.
The 45-year-old Barkley is an NBA analyst for Turner Network Television.