Lakers vs. Suns: Lakers win Game 1, 128-107

The Lakers struggled to the end of the regular season and then were dominated in Games 3 and 4 by Oklahoma City in the first round of the playoffs. But, we’re seven games removed from that and it was also the last time the defending NBA champions lost.

So, how did they turn their fortunes around? Simple. Kobe Bryant started playing like Kobe Bryant again.

On Monday, in the Lakers’ 128-107 win over the Phoenix Suns, Bryant had 40 points, including a remarkable 21 points in the third quarter of the Western Conference finals opener. Game 2 in the best-of-seven series is Wednesday at Staples Center.

It really wasn’t much of a game once Bryant took over. It was the fifth consecutive game in which Bryant has scored more than 30 points. He scored his 40 on 13-of-23 shooting from the field while making 11 of 12 from the line. He made three of six three-pointers.

Perhaps the greatest praise for Bryant came from two-time MVP Steve Nash of the Suns, who was held to a below-average 13 points.

“I don’t think we sent him to the line a lot,” Nash said. “I don’t think we let him inside a lot, but still he scored a ton.”

Bryant played only 35 minutes as he left the game with about nine minutes to play and nothing left to prove. As the game wound down, even the normally nervous Lakers crowd started to loosen up, chanting: “We want Boston.”

The Boston Celtics have a 1-0 lead over the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference finals, with Game 2 on Tuesday.

“Kobe had an outstanding game,” Lakers Coach Phil Jackson said in an understatement of fact. “Pau (Gasol) played a fine game and so did Lamar (Odom).”

Gasol contributed 21 points while Odom had 19 points and 19 rebounds.

“Kobe carried a lot of the offense tonight,” Jackson said. “He came in and was going to shoulder the game.”

Bryant’s health is a constant topic around Los Angeles. The Times reported on Monday that he recently had a “significant” amount of fluid drained from his knee, something Jackson verified although he said it was not done this past weekend.

And Bryant certainly made everyone forget about his date with a syringe early when he came out and scored 11 points in the first quarter. But there was an anxious moment with 1:46 left in the opening period when he slipped as he drove down the lane and fell on his injured knee. It hushed the sellout crowd of 18,997. But what was hurting him was his head, which banged into Phoenix guard Jason Richardson as he fell.

How did he respond?

He got up, stayed in the game and sank a 17-footer at the buzzer.

It was that kind of game for Bryant.

“When he’s making those shots, there’s not a whole lot more you can do about it,” said Suns Coach Alvin Gentry.

“Every time he plays, he takes it personal. . . . He knows how important the first thing is.”

Amare Stoudemire was the main reason the Suns were only seven points behind at the half before Bryant took over in the third. Stoudemire scored 15 of his 23 points in the first half and was the Suns’ leading scorer. Richardson added 15 points with Robin Lopez contributed 14.

Besides Bryant, another subplot around Los Angeles has been the future of Jackson. He is in the last year of a contract that pays him $12 million a year. He said he would decide his future after the playoffs but in a radio interview he did before the weekend he said he was leaning toward retiring.

But on Monday, he was reversing field.

“Right now, I’m leaning on the podium,” Jackson joked with the media before the game. “I’m not leaning either way. I haven’t thought about it.”

He has previously said if the Lakers don’t make the Finals that he is less likely to return.

After Bryant’s performance on Monday , it looks like Jackson might be around for a while. Who can blame him?

-- John Cherwa

Lakers 128, Suns 107, final

Lakers had 44 bench points. Wasn’t the bench supposed to be the weak point? I believe this game should count as two wins, so I’m going to say the Lakers are up 2-0 after the Game 1 win.

Lakers 122, Suns 100, 2:44 remaining, fourth quarter

The refs are anxious to get this game over with, as there are fouls being committed all over the place that aren’t being called. The teams are basically just trading baskets now, with the Suns putting up wild threes and hoping they go in. Lamar Odom has 19 points and 19 rebounds.

Lakers 117, Suns 95, 4:52 remaining in fourth quarter

It’s garbage time now. The Lakers have such a big lead that if Chuck Nevitt were still in the league, he’d be in the game now. Worried that their rating will decline for Game 2, the TNT announcers are furiously trying to convince the home viewers that the Suns will make this a competitive series.

Lakers 117, Suns 91, 6:18 remaining in the fourth quarter

You know things are going well when Jordan Farmar swishes a three-pointer. Then Shannon Brown hits a three. Lakers on a 10-0 run. The Suns finally score! And Gasol answers with a dunk. By the way, Kobe scored 21 points in the third quarter. He’s on the bench right now.

Lakers 106, Suns 87, 9:06 remaining in fourth quarter

The teams start by trading baskets, except the Lakers are getting three points to the Suns’ two. Kobe has 38 points. Lamar Odom gets slapped in the face “accidentally” on a rebound, then misses three shots, grabs all three rebounds and scores after a goaltending call. Khloe must be ecstatic. Two more points for Kobe. He has 40 now. And then Gasol scores and gets fouled for another three-point play. Josh Powell almost leaped over the backboard on a dunk attempt, exciting the crowd. I’d tell you what the Suns did, but does it really matter at this point?

Wow. Is this game over, or what? For those of you wondering, Bret Hart did indeed win the U.S. title on Monday Night Raw tonight.

-- Houston Mitchell

Lakers 93, Suns 79, end of third quarter

Gasol extended the Laker lead to 19 with a short jumper and his 16th point. But Steve Nash, a two-time MVP, returned the favor.

Jason Richardson was able to close the margin to 15 and then hit a three-pointer to cut the lead to 12. After Odom missed a shot and the Suns turned the ball over the Lakers finished the period with two foul shots by Bryant to give him 34 points for the game and 20 for the period.

So, the Lakers have 14 a point lead with 12 minutes to play.

Lakers 89, Suns 72, 3:14 remaining in third quarter

It certainly appeared inevitable that Bryant would collect his fifth straight 30-point game when he came out of the timeout with an 18 footer to give him 28 points.

Steve Nash answered with a two but then Bryant got to 30 (and 31 after the foul shot) on a layup off a brilliant no-look pass from Pau Gasol. After Lamar Odom stole the ball from Nash, Bryant followed it up with two more and the Suns needed a timeout as they fell behind by 17, the biggest lead of the game.

Is this one over? We’ll know soon enough.

Lakers 80, Suns 70, 5:21 remaining in third quarter

A seven-point was a pretty good way to start the third quarter for the Lakers but how much longer can the Lakers maintain a 61% field goal shooting pace? Of course the Suns 50% wasn’t so bad either considering both teams haven’t played in about a week.

The teams traded baskets to open up the period (Kobe Bryant and Robin Lopez; Pau Gasol and Lopez) and then a two and a three by Bryant gave the Lakers a 12-point lead.

But Steve Nash is one of the pre-eminent players in te game and he answered with a two and Amare Stoudemire backed that up with another basket.

After a turnover, Bryant got a little upset at the officiating was assessed a technical foul. Nash made the free throw but Bryant answered with his ninth point of the quarter.

When Grant Hill was whistled for his fourth foul it resulted in a technical, which Bryant made and then followed that up with two free throws and a 10-point Laker lead.

Jason Richardson cut the lead to eight but Gasol upped it to 10. A couple of misses later the quarter eased into its first time oout of the half.

-- John Cherwa

Lakers 62, Suns 55, halftime

The Lakers bench, led by Lamar Odom’s best performance in the playoffs and a strong inside game, carried them to a seven-point lead at halftime.

Odom scored 15 points in his first 13 minutes and leads the Lakers in scoring. Kobe Bryant has 14 points.

The Lakers’ size advantage in the frontcourt continues to pay off, as 30 of their points were scored in the paint, versus only 16 for the Suns.

The Lakers also shot a whopping 61% from the floor.

But Suns center Robin Lopez was very active in his first game since injuring his back in March. Lopez has eight points and three rebounds in 12 minutes and helped neutralize the Lakers’ size advantage. Lopez blocked a shot close to the rim by Pau Gasol and tied him up for a jump ball. But on the next play Bryant fed him Gasol inside for a layup to make it 58-50

The Suns usually rely on their three-point shooting, but missed seven of10; Suns backup center Channing Frye missed four of his five three-pointers.

Meanwhile, four different Lakers have scored beyond the three-point arc and the team is four for five

Lakers 50, Suns 40, 5:58 remaining, second quarter

Lamar Odom continues to energize the Lakers and leads the team with 13 points. Jordan Farmar also has five points.

So far the Lakers bench has outscored the Suns, 18-13.

Sasha Vujacic entered the game at the 6:31 mark, his first appearance since getting hurt in the final regular season game. Robin Lopez, the Suns center, has also done well so far and has six points and two boards.

Lakers 43, Suns 35, 8:21 remaining, second quarter

Right now it’s a battle of the benches and the Lakers are keeping their lead.

Lamar Odom already has 11 points off the bench and has matched the Suns’ bench production so far.

Suns points guard Steve Nash played almost all of the first quarter. His sub, Goran Dragic, has scored twice already on Jordan Farmar, and the Slovenian drew a two-shot foul just before the timeout.

Lakers 35, Suns 26, end of first quarter

After hitting the floor and appearing hurt, Kobe Bryant hit a jumper, a three-pointer and another jumper just before the quarter ended to give the Lakers a nine point lead after trailing for much of the quarter. Bryant leads the Lakers with 11 points. Lamar Odom scored seven points in 2:39 when he came into the game as the Lakers’ bench helped pick up the pace of the game against the speedy Suns.

Amare Stoudemire leads the Suns with seven points.

Bryant lost his balance and fell on his bad right knee with 1:46 left in the quarter. He was holding his head and was briefly stunned. The crowd gasped on the replay at Staples Center.

The Lakers called a time out and Bryant stayed in the game.

Lakers 24, Suns 23, 2:52 remaining in first quarter

The Lakers caught up after Lamar Odom entered the game.

Odom came in for Bynum at the halfway mark, probably to spell Andrew Bynum and give the the Lakers more speed on the court. Odom has been instant offense. Odom hit a bank shot from the left wing, and then a three-pointer from the right wing to tie the game at 22.Then on their next possesion Odom snared an offensive rebound and scored on a putback. Odom has seven points.

The tempo of the game has favored the Suns so far. It’s not a seven-seconds or less offense, but Steve Nash is using his dribble-drive to get into the paint and look for open shooters on the wing or in the paint. After the Utah series the change in the pace of play is very obvious.

Suns 20, Lakers 15, 5:31 remaining in first quarter

The Suns are off to a quick start, with every starter having scored. Steve Nash is moving the ball quickly up court and has four points and four assists in the first six minutes. Jason Richardson leads the Suns with six points.

Ron Artest has been active. He blew past Jason Richardson for a left-handed lay-up and hit his first three-point shot and fed Andrew Bynum for a dunk. Artest leads the Lakers with five points.

Robin Lopez played well for the Suns in his first game in weeks, the center has four points and a rebound.

Pre-game report

In his news conference before the game Phil Jackson talked about the report in The Times on Monday that Kobe Bryant recently needed to have his knee drained of fluids.

“It’s a concern, we’re dealing with it and think we have it under control,” Jackson said. Bryant has had his knee drained one or two times before and Jackson said, but would not say when the latest procedure occurred, other than to say “a ways back.”

Jackson said two keys to the series would be how the Lakers make use of their size advantage in the frontcourt versus the Suns’ speedy up-tempo game.

He also joked about a recent radio interview he did suggesting he was leaning toward retirement after the season. “I’m leaning on the podium, and that’s about it,” prompting laughs in the press room.

Finally, Jackson said that forward Ron Artest could guard four or five different Suns during the series, ranging from point guard Steve Nash to power forward Amare Stoudemire.

--Barry Stavro