Quality, then control for Lakers

The Lakers didn't need to be rougher or tougher in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals against the Denver Nuggets. They didn't need to slug anyone in the nose to make amends for a lackluster result 48 hours earlier.

No, the Lakers merely needed to move the ball smartly around the court. They needed to take and make open shots. They needed to rebound better and play defense with more determination. They needed to play like title contenders again.

Mission accomplished.

The Lakers regained control of the series with a 103-94 victory Wednesday night at Staples Center that moved them within one win of a second consecutive trip to the NBA Finals. They can advance with a victory in Game 6 on Friday in Denver.

If a Game 7 is necessary, it will be Sunday at Staples Center.

"It means we responded to the challenge," Kobe Bryant said. "Denver is a tough team, and the way they beat us in Game 4, I think there were alot of people having doubts. But we did a good job to respond to the challenge."

The teams were deadlocked at the end of the first, second and third quarters, only the fourth time in NBA playoff history that's happened. Oddly enough, the Lakers have been involved in all four games, most recently in 1964 against the St. Louis Hawks.

It was tied 25-all at the end of the first quarter, 56-all at halftime, then 76-all at the end of three quarters. The Lakers then opened the fourth quarter by going on an 11-0 run, building an 87-76 lead after Shannon Brown's jump shot.

The Lakers, who had 11 consecutive defensive stops during a stretch that spanned from near the end of the third quarter into the fourth, maintained a modest lead the rest of the way. The Lakers outscored the Nuggets 27-18 in the final period.

"Some of those stops I was amazed at," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. "We were hustling, working really hard. We left guys open for shots (but) we were still able to recover to get back to guys who were taking shots."

Bryant scored a team-leading 22 points on 6-for-13 shooting in 45 minutes. He also had five rebounds and a team-leading eight assists.

Bryant played more of a set-up role than in recent games, as per the Lakers' game plan.

"That's what we asked him to do," Jackson said of Bryant's pass-first mentality. "He probably could have had more (assists) if we had hit some more shots."

Lamar Odom added 19 points, a team-leading 14 rebounds and a playoff career-high-tying four blocks in a reserve role. Pau Gasol had 14 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks in 45 minutes, and Trevor Ariza and Derek Fisher each scored 12 points.

"I think this was one of our best games of the year," Odom said two nights after the Lakers suffered a 120-101 loss to the Nuggets in Game 4 at Denver.

Carmelo Anthony led Denver with 31 points on 9-for-23 shooting. Kenyon Martin and Chauncey Billups added 12 apiece for the Nuggets, who shot only 38.6 percent compared to 48.7 percent for the Lakers."

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