Yet on a troubled knee, Kobe Bryant had NP giving the Los Angeles Lakers an early opening in the Western Conference showdown.Bryant makes 40 points, Lamar Odom added 19 points and 19 boards, and the Lakers opened the series with merciless offensive competence in a 128-107 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Monday night.
Spain cager Pau Gasol made 21 points for the top-seeded Lakers, who won their seventh straight playoff game and shattered the Suns' six-game streak with a phenomenal second half highlighted by Bryant's 21-point third quarter.
The defending NBA champions bang the third-seeded Suns at their own uptempo game when necessary, gracefully running the court to set up baskets for Bryant in his sixth straight 30-point game. Kobe Bryant then rested his tender knee for most of the fourth quarter in the 11th 40-point game of his playoff career.
Moreover, Amare Stoudemire scored 23 points and Steve Nash contributes 13 points and 13 assists for the Suns, who hadn't lost since April 24. Robin Lopez started at center and makes 14 points in his playoff debut, but Phoenix Suns couldn't keep up with the champs in its first conference finals appearance since 2006.
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