LOS ANGELES (AFP) — Spain's Pau Gasol scored 36 points and grabbed 16 rebounds while Kobe Bryant added 32 to power the Los Angeles Lakers past Denver 128-114 in a National Basketball Association playoff opener.
Thanks to Gasol, the Western Conference top seed Lakers dominated much of the game, although Bryant awoke late with 18 points in the fourth quarter.
The Lakers, who won all three regular-season meetings between the clubs by an average of 16.3 points, improved to 16-2 at home against the Nuggets since they began playing in the Staples Center in 1999.
Los Angeles, which will play host to game two on Wednesday, has a 23-5 record since obtaining Gasol in a February deal with Memphis.
That move eased the worries of Bryant, who was looking at leaving the Lakers when the season began.
"He does such a great job moving inside the paint, moving without the basketball," Bryant said. "He's great in the post, defending with both hands. Most teams don't know what to do with him. He does a phenomenal job in there."
On a nine-of-26 shooting day for Bryant, it was Gasol who proved the pivotal difference-maker until the playmaking guard caught fire late to deny the Nuggets a comeback threat.
"I just started knocking down the jump shot," Bryant said. "They were giving me a mid-range shots. They were just a little off. Those are money shots. I should be knocking them down."
Bryant expects both sides to make some significant changes before the best-of-seven series continues after two days off.
"We picked up some things we can do execution-wise," Bryant said. "In game two they will make some adjustments. I'm sure we will as well."
Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony each scored 30 points to lead Denver. Anthony also grabbed 12 rebounds while Iverson contributed seven assists and five rebounds.
Iverson, a four-time NBA scoring champion, was ejected with 2:10 remaining in the fourth quarter after receiving two technical fouls while arguing with referee Ken Mauer. Iverson said he was fouled before attempting a jump shot.
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