It's Almost Two Easy

By TIM KAWAKAMI

April 28, 2000 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

The Lakers did not toy with their catch this time, or even let the Sacramento Kings see light.

Crush. Kill. Destroy.

Kobe Bryant crashed through the defense for a career playoff-high 32 points, and the rest of the Lakers cut off all means of escape Thursday, annihilating the Kings, 113-89, before 18,997 at Staples Center in Game 2 of this best-of-five first-round playoff series.

Officially, the Lakers, who have a 2-0 lead, can end this series Sunday at Sacramento, but the true clinching probably came somewhere in the third quarter Thursday.

That’s when the Kings’ shooters, used to open space and creative synergy, seemed to hit the wall, and fall back in frustration and exhaustion.

That’s when Shaquille O’Neal’s rebound totals neared 20, his arm blocked the path to the basket from all angles, Bryant and the rest of the Laker defenders choked off the lanes, and the Kings had one answer:

To lose, dismally.

And, with the Lakers having beaten the Kings five consecutive times dating back to the regular season and each one seemingly more commanding than the next, what’s left of the Kings now?

“We spent a lot of time talking about Shaq,” King Coach Rick Adelman said. “But we probably should’ve spent more time talking about Kobe.”

O’Neal, who scored 46 points in Game 1, was double-teamed throughout this game, and took a comfortable back seat offensively to Bryant.

O’Neal still finished with 23 points, 19 rebounds and six assists.

“The whole world knew that they were not going to let me get 46 again, which was fine,” O’Neal said. “I’ve been in that situation before, where the double and the triple has come very quickly. And I’m anxious to get my other teammates involved.

“It was kind of an easy game for me. I didn’t have to bump and run people over and all that stuff.”

Bryant, meanwhile, showcased some of his more creative magic against the ultra-creative Kings--including a fake-behind-the-back-pass and layup and one fall-away 35-foot three-pointer.

“You don’t have to think during the game,” Bryant said. “You just go out there and let it happen. Most of the time, Shaq was on the blocks and [Vlade] Divac was afraid to leave him, which left me room to go.”

The Laker defense, after surrendering five baskets in the Kings’ first six shots, clamped the Sacramento fastbreak and everything else, and the Kings made only 34 of their 80 shots (42.5%).

Chris Webber, who had roasted the Lakers in every previous meeting this season, made only eight of his 28 shots, settling for jumpers because he could not find a path to the basket.

Jason Williams, meanwhile, the other key King, was held to only nine points and one assist.

“This is what we wanted to do, we wanted to keep them under 100 points,” Laker Coach Phil Jackson said. “Now we’re on serve, going up to Sacramento, having to find a way to win a game up there.”

But Jackson demurred when asked if he felt the Lakers had taken control of the series with the performance.

“We had command of this game,” Jackson said. “But each has a personality, these games. Now we’re going to play one up there, that will be in their home court and that is one of the most difficult places to play.”

Said O’Neal: “We just did what we were supposed to do and that’s stay dominant at home.”

For the Kings, it was tough combination--tough defense plus Bryant and O’Neal.

“You never know which one is going to break out and do their thing,” Webber said of O’Neal and Bryant.

Said Jackson: “They were dropping in Shaq’s lap, they were determined not to let him get the ball, collapsed a lot, and left our shooters open. And Kobe had some of those shots and Glen [Rice, 18 points] had some and they came through. . . .

“He made his first three then he threw in a 30-footer, and Kobe’s the kind of player that can really ride the emotional momentum quite well.”

This time, it was the Lakers who came out blisteringly hot, running up 18 points in the first six minutes of the game.

Bryant finished the first quarter with back-to-back three-pointers, climaxed by a the 35-footer at the shot-clock buzzer. That gave him 15 points in the quarter--which ended with the Lakers ahead, 35-24--and there would be more.

In the second, the Lakers absorbed the Kings’ 14-5 opening counterpunch, which narrowed the lead to 40-38 with 7:28 left in the half.

But then the Laker defense swung into high gear, limiting the Kings to only three more points and one-for-12 shooting the rest of the half.

Bryant had 22 points in the first half; O’Neal had 12 rebounds.

From the 7:28 mark, the Lakers outscored Sacramento, 16-3, and jumped to a 56-41 lead, easily their most commanding halftime position against the Kings all season.

“When we don’t move the ball, when the ball doesn’t hop, we get very stagnant,” Adelman said. “And they did that to us tonight.”

Said Jackson: “Defense is the grunt. It’s not exciting, it’s hard work, it’s sweat and blood and teamwork and the whole bit.

‘It’s where teams bond and make themselves play together. It’s easy to play together defensively, and it just makes a team play better on offense.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

The Series

Lakers lead series, 2-0

GAME 1

Lakers 117, Kings 107

GAME 2

Lakers 113, Kings 89

GAME 3

Sunday at Sacramento,