Kobe Bryant and Paul Gasol lead Lakers to win over Phoenix Suns in game 2
Paul Gasol erupted for 29 points, 14 of it coming in the final period, to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a dominating 124-112 victory against the Phoenix Suns in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals, Thursday, at the Staples Center.
Kobe Bryant had another stellar performance after scoring 40 points in Game 1 finishing the game with 21 points and dished out a season-high 13 assists to give the Lakers a commanding 2-0 lead in the series.
The Lakers’ offense proved to be too much for the struggling defense of the Phoenix Suns especially in the fourth quarter of the game where the Los Angeles outscored Phoenix 34-22.
"We're shooting the ball very well, moving the ball really, really well," Gasol said. "Our bench is playing at a high level, and we're all stepping up." Gasol added, after The Lakers shot 57% from the field including an impressive 56.2 % from the three point region.
Last year’s Finals Most Valuable Player had a record setting night tallying the most number of assist, 13, in a post-season game since Magic Johnson in 1996. Bryant ended his streak of 30-point but he was big factor in this especially late in the game when he dished out two crucial assist to Paul Gasol who was fouled in both plays.
"It makes the game a lot easier to have a player like Pau Gasol inside to catch and complete plays. We're extremely well-versed in playing against teams that double and zone, things like that." Bryant said.
Ron Artest contributed 18 points and five rebounds for the Lakers who remained undefeated at home in the post season. The Lakers also won their 8th straight game playoff game after sweeping the Utah Jazz in the second round while the Phoenix Suns suffered their first back to back losses since January.
The Suns, who lost Game 1 by 21 points, kept the game close with the score locked-up at 90 after three Quarters before Gasol and Bryant sparked the decisive run in the fourth period.
Lamar Odom, who was verbally attacked by Amare Stoudemire in Game 1, proved that he’s not just lucky like what Stoudemire is claiming. Odom came off the bench and tallied 18 points and 11 rebounds for Los Angeles, who are now just two wins away from a possible epic rematch with the Celtics who currently holds a 2-0 lead against Orlando Magic.
It's really tough because we have so many guys on this team that can hurt you offensively. When we get four or five guys going offensively, it seems like our defense steps up. We do a great job of using our quickness, cutting guys off and making it hard for teams as well as putting that offensive pressure on them”, said Lamar Odom.
On the other hand, Steve Nash finished the game with 11 points and 15 assists for the Suns. The two-time MVP expressed his frustration to their defensive effort in Game 2. “We still scored enough points tonight, but when they can score 120-something, that’s asking the offense to score too much. If we’re going to beat them, we’ve got to find a way to slow them down,” Nash said.
“We can’t slow them down,” Phoenix coach Alvin Gentry said. “I thought we played well offensively, but every time we tried to make an adjustment to slow them down offensively, they would go somewhere else. There’s a good reason they’re the world champs, but we’ll keep plugging away, keep trying.”
The Phoenix Suns will try to bounce back in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals when they host the Lakers Sunday night.
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