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NBA PLAYOFFS: Bryant sinks 31, Lakers beat Nuggets

Kobe Bryant, center, of the Los Angeles Lakers drives between Allen Iverson, left, and Nene of the Denver Nuggets during the fourth period of Game 4 of their NBA Western Conference quarter-finals at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado, on Monday. PHOTO: EPA

Kobe Bryant scored 31 points and Pau Gasol added 21 to spark the Los Angeles Lakers past Denver 107-101 on Monday, completing a first-round NBA playoff sweep.

Bryant hit 12-of-24 from the field, including scoring nine consecutive Laker points in a key stretch late in the fourth quarter, and Lamar Odom added 14 points for the Lakers, the top seeds in the West.

“They did a good job in the third quarter denying me,” Bryant said. “We made our adjustments, they made theirs and we made them pay in the fourth.”

The Nuggets became the first 50-win team ever swept out of the playoffs in the first round, the Lakers taking the best-of-seven series in four games to book a second-round Western Conference date with either Utah or Houston.

“In the West there are no easy matchups,” Bryant said. “We’re looking forward to whoever we face.”

The Lakers were also looking forward to a rest before the next round.

“It’s extremely important to relax, get home, rest a little bit, get some treatment and get ready for the second round,” Bryant said.

J.R. Smith scored a playoff career-high 26 points to lead the Nuggets while Allen Iverson added 22 points and Carmelo Anthony scored 21.

“I feel like me and my teammates gave everything they had and put everything on the line,” Iverson said. “You have to accept that when guys give everything they had. We gave everything we had. We just got beat by a better team.”

Denver went out in the first round for the fifth season in a row.

“There’s a lot of guys in that locker room who want to win a playoff series and we haven’t done it. That’s the disappointment we all have,” Nuggets coach George Karl said.

“The last four years ... have not ended well in playoff basketball. Playoff basketball is the greatest stage in the NBA and we haven’t found a way to conquer that.

“Our team made a big step forward this year but the Western Conference is amazing. We have to take some time to analyze what we have to do to move up,” he said.

With Iverson and Anthony among the NBA’s top scorers, defense could be the key the improved playoff performance.

“Defense has to be the focus for next year,” Iverson said. “We know we can score the ball. All it is is looking at yourself in the mirror and figuring out what you can do to make your team better.”

Anthony, who accused his teammates of quitting in game three, felt differently after game four, saying, “We left it out there.”

A Linas Kleiza jumper with 2:23 to play in the third quarter gave the Nuggets their first lead at 73-71 to cap a 10-0 Denver run, but the Lakers reclaimed the lead at 79-77 entering the fourth quarter.

The game was level at 90-90 when Bryant put the Lakers ahead on a 3-pointer with 4:27 to play, then drove for a layup that lifted the Lakers ahead 95-90.

Smith answered with a 3-pointer and a steal for a layup plus a free throw to put Denver on top 96-95.

Bryant answered with a jumper to put the Lakers ahead 97-96, his last of his nine in a row after 17 minutes with a basket from the field, and Luke Walton added a 3-pointer to put the Lakers ahead 100-96 with 2:37 remaining.

“You can’t take nothing away from that Laker team. They had a great series,” Anthony said. “Kobe took over the game in the fourth quarter. He hit some tough shots. He just exploded. He did those things he always seems to do.”

Hawks 97, Celtics 92

The Boston Celtics, who posted the best regular-season record in the NBA, were upset for the second game in a row by Atlanta, the worst team to make the playoffs.

Joe Johnson scored 20 of his 35 points in the fourth quarter to spark the Hawks past Boston 97-92 here Monday, leveling their Eastern Conference first round best-of-seven series at two wins each.

Orlando became the first team to reach the second round of the NBA playoffs, with Dwight Howard scoring 21 points and grabbing 21 rebounds to lead the Magic past Toronto 102-92 for a four games to one victory in their series.

But the East stunner came in Atlanta, where the Hawks trailed 75-65 entering the fourth quarter but outscored the Celtics 32-17 in the final 12 minutes thanks to Johnson and Josh Smith, who combined for Atlanta’s last 34 points.

The Celtics claimed a home-court edge throughout the NBA playoffs with a 66-16 record while the Hawks had the worst record of any playoff team at 37-45.

But after two blowout victories at home, the Celtics find themselves coming back to Boston level with game five Wednesday and game six Friday at Atlanta. A seventh-game would be Sunday in Boston if necessary.

The Boston-Atlanta winner will face either Cleveland or Washington in the second round. The Cavaliers lead Washington 3-1 in that series and host game five tomorrow.

Magic 102, Raptors 92

At Orlando, it was the superb performance by 23-year-old Dwight Howard that lifted the Magic into the second round for the first time since 1996 when Shaquille O’Neal and Penny Hardaway were stars for the club.

Jameer Nelson added 19 points while Rashard Lewis contributed 18 points and 13 rebounds for the Magic, who will face the winner between Detroit and Philadelphia in the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Philadelphia and Detroit are level at 2-2 in their series with game five Tuesday at Detroit and game six tomorrow at Philadelphia.

The Raptors led 50-49 at half-time but the Magic outscored Toronto 25-18 in the third quarter and held off the Canadian club in the final quarter to capture the clincher and win the best-of-seven series four games to one.

Chris Bosh led Toronto with 16 points while T.J. Ford and Carlos Delfino each added 14 for the Raptors, who closed within 84-82 midway into the final quarter on a Bosh hook shot.

Keith Bogans sank two 3-point shots in an 11-2 run by Orlando in response that secured the victory and the series.
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