DPA/Los Angeles
Kobe Bryant called for the rest of his Los Angeles Lakers teammates to step up in Game 7. Boy, did they ever. The Lakers got huge contributions from Spanish star Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum, Metta World Peace and Steve Blake as they rallied in the fourth quarter for a 96-87 home victory over the pesky Denver Nuggets in the deciding game of their Western Conference first-round series. Bryant had 17 points and eight assists and was one of five scorers in double figures for the third-seeded Lakers, who have won a Game 7 at home 11 straight times since their only loss in the 1969 NBA Finals. They advance to the conference semifinals to play the second-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder, who have been off for a week. “You don’t have to show too much restraint,” said Bryant, who took only 16 shots. “You continue to instill confidence in them (teammates) to knock down those shots.” “We were gonna force him to trust his other teammates and he did that,” Nuggets guard Andre Miller said. The Lakers held a 3-1 series lead but lost Game 5 at home before being blown out in Game 6 at Denver. After that game, Bryant - who scored 74 points in the two losses - indicated that Gasol and Bynum needed to play better. The 7-footers responded by combining for 39 points, 35 rebounds and 10 blocks. Gasol had 23 points, 17 rebounds and four blocks and Bynum added 16 and 18 and six. They totaled 20 offensive rebounds, giving Los Angeles countless additional shots, and teamed up to score 15 points down the stretch. “I came out really aggressive and got on the boards,” Gasol said. “That’s how I’m most effective.” World Peace returned from a seven-game suspension for seven games for a flagrant elbow late in the regular season. After a slow start, he came alive with 15 points and strong defense. “The points are okay but it’s about the intangibles, the things I bring to the table,” he said. “I was breathing a little bit hard at first but then I picked it up.” “He was monstrous for us on both ends of the floor,” Lakers coach Mike Brown said. Blake scored a playoff career-high 19 points, draining five three-pointers. He made two in a 27-14 surge that ended the game. “Metta stepped up and knocked shots down and so did Steve Blake,” Brown said. After opening a 48-42 halftime lead, the Lakers extended the margin to 62-46 as World Peace made a pair of three-pointers. But Ty Lawson scored 13 in the final six minutes of the third quarter to help the Nuggets pull within 69-68 entering the final period. Denver opened a 73-69 lead on a three-pointer by Al Harrington before three-pointers by World Peace and Blake triggered the closing run. Gasol had a pair of tip-ins and four free throws and Bynum had a tip-in and five free throws as they dominated underneath. Bryant provided the dagger with a three-pointer that made it 92-84 with 48 seconds left. The Lakers travel to face the Thunder today. It is the first meeting between the teams since April 22, when World Peace elbowed James Harden in the head, giving him a concussion.