LA Lakers NBA Playoffs: Well-Rested Kobe And Odom Lead Blowout Of Suns

Halfway through the fourth quarter of the Lakers blowout of the Suns, the only difference between Kobe Bryant and LeBron James is that LeBron was watching the game, sitting on his couch and Kobe was watching the game, relaxing on the bench after dropping 40 on Phoenix…

Six days of rest and a procedure to drain his injured knee had an energizing effect on the Laker star as he made 13 out of 23 shots and looked like he could have scored at will.  Kobe even drained an off-balance fall-away shot at the end of the first quarter that put the Lakers up by 9.  He scored 21 of his points in the third quarter to break the will of a Phoenix team who had come into the series hot.  Most of the worry in Lakertown was eased with the monster effort.

Kobe’s partner in crime tonight was Lamar Odom, the spark off of the Lakers bench.  Odom gave LA the huge boost that they needed with 19 points and 19 rebounds.  The bench of the Lakers was stellar, as Jordan Farmar had 10 points and Shannon Brown added 9.  They got a lot of playing time in the fourth quarter as Lakers coach Phil Jackson rested his starters.

Photo: Chris Carlson/AP

Pau Gasol was his usual unstoppable self, scoring 21 points of his own and creating all sorts of havoc in Steve Nash’s passing lanes.  The length of Gasol, Odom and Andrew Bynum seemed to have an adverse affect on the Suns ball movement.

The Suns had 6 players score in double figures, but, were clearly outmatched on this night.

Phil Jackson’s teams have never lost a series where they have won the first game.  The fans at Staples Center were already screaming for Boston as the game came to an end.  Game 2 is Wednesday at Staples Center.