Lakers-Nuggets: Denver Can't Stop Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom in Game One

There were two main questions surrounding the Western Conference playoffs between the Lakers and Nuggets.

Would Kobe Bryant continue to play team basketball?

Could Denver find a way to play defense?

After missing the first shot of the game, Bryant deferred to his teammates, turning the bulk of the first quarter into a layup drill. The Lakers pulled out to a 15-9 lead halfway through the period, shooting 51 percent, mostly in the paint.

Stretching their lead to 10 points, the Lakers then resorted to perimeter shots, letting Denver back in the game.

The Nuggets closed out the quarter with four unanswered points, narrowing the gap to 26-22. Carmelo Anthony was the high scorer with 10 points.

Back-to-back three-pointers and a pair of two-pointers from Linas Kleiza off the bench ignited a 13-point Nuggets run as Denver took the lead, 36-30.

J.R. Smith also came off the bench with 10 points to extend the Nuggets lead to 47-40.

With George Karl switching to a zone defense, the Nuggets outscored the Lakers 22-2 in the paint.

Then Lamar Odom, Luke Walton and Pau Gasol took over, and the Lakers forged ahead at the half, 58-56. Gasol had 18, Walton 12 and Odom nine points to match his nine rebounds.

Iverson and Anthony had 14 each for Denver, while Kleiza and Smith both had 10 off the bench.

The Lakers finished the half with 34 points in the paint to 28 for Denver. The teams shot nearly evenly, the Lakers edging Denver 47 percent to 46 percent.

Bryant was just 2-for-10 in the half. That should have been a danger sign for Denver. When Bryant is off in the first half, he usually comes back strong in the second.

The Lakers started the second half with a 15-2 run, continuing to pound the ball in the paint and extending their lead, 73-60. Gasol dominated the rest of the period, scoring 16 more points on feeds from his teammates and shutting out Marcus Camby, who was 0-for-5.

The Lakers outscored Denver 39-22 in the period to take a 19-point lead, 97-78.

Denver opened the final period with a vengeance, cutting the Lakers lead to 10 points at 101-91. But Denver could not get any stops and wound up trading baskets with the Lakers. They would not get any closer than nine points (116-107).

Then Iverson got hit with two technicals after he complained about a no-call and had to leave the game. The other Nuggets could not pick up the slack, and the Lakers breezed to a 128-114 victory.

Pau Gasol ended an incredible performance with his playoff-record high, going 14 for 20 (70 percent) for 36 points, 16 rebounds and 8 assists. Odom was 17-14-6 and Walton 16-4-5. Bryant, who started off slowly, finished with 32 points.

Iverson and Anthony combined for 60 points, scoring 30 apiece. Kleiza added 23 and J.R. Smith 15 from the bench.

The telling factor was the Lakers scoring and defense in the paint. Gasol and Odom scored 53 points to just nine for Kenyon Martin and Marcus Camby.

Overall the Lakers shot 50 percent (46-92) to Denver’s 44.8 percent (43-96) and had an incredible 33 assists. Denver lost the game at the foul line, where they missed 14 free throws, shooting just 62.2 percent on 23-for-37 to the Lakers' 84.4 percent on 27-32

After the game, Phil Jackson said, "I told (the players) I was happy with the win but not pleased with the way they played."

Jackson addressed what he would like to see happen on defense. "Close the lanes down. Make them have to shoot the ball."

We will see if there is any change on Wednesday when they play Game 2.