Basketball: Los Angeles 104 Denver 100

Kobe Bryant scored 38 points Tuesday to lead the Los Angeles Lakers past Denver 104-100 in the second game of their Western Conference quarterfinals series. The win gave Los Angeles a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series, which resumes Friday in Colorado. Bryant made 15-of-29 field goal attempts and missed only two of his 11 free throws. He also turned in four assists as the Lakers led wire to wire. Andrew Bynum scored a playoff-high 27 points for the Lakers. Ramon Sessions scored 14 points and Pau Gasol scored 13. Ty Lawson hit 11-of-17 from the floor for 25 points and Kenneth Faried scored 14 for the Nuggets. Denver shot 35.6 percent from the field to 50 percent for the Lakers. Los Angeles won the rebounding battle 52-46.