NBA Today
Cleveland at Washington (8 p.m. EDT). The Wizards try to rebound from an 0-2 hole when they host LeBron James and the Cavaliers in the best-of-seven series.
STAR
-Kobe Bryant, Lakers, scored 49 points with 10 assists in a 122-107 win over the Denver Nuggets in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series.
MASTERFUL
Kobe Bryant had 49 points and 10 assists, and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Denver Nuggets 122-107 on Wednesday night to take a 2-0 lead in their first-round playoff series. Games 3 and 4 will be in Denver on Saturday and Monday night. Bryant, who was 18-for-27 from the field, scored 20 points in the first quarter to get the Lakers off to a fast start, and 19 over the last seven minutes to keep them safely ahead.
EVENED UP
Rasheed Wallace scored 11 of his 16 points in the first quarter and Detroit went on to beat Philadelphia 105-88 in Game 2 on Wednesday night to even the first-round series. Game 3 is Friday night in Philadelphia.
ALL BUSINESS
Kevin Garnett had 19 points and 10 rebounds, and Rajon Rondo added 12 points, eight assists and six rebounds to lead Boston to a 96-77 victory over Atlanta on Wednesday night and a 2-0 lead in the first-round series. Paul Pierce returned from a first-quarter knockdown to score 14 points, and Kendrick Perkins added eight points and nine rebounds for the Celtics. Game 3 is Saturday in Atlanta.
STRONG IN DEFEAT
Denver's Allen Iverson had 31 points and six assists in a 122-107 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series on Wednesday night.
SPEAKING
``Tonight, the way he was going, we probably could have put 10 people on the court and probably wouldn't have been able to stop him.'' - Nuggets star Allen Iverson on Kobe Bryant, who had 49 points and 10 assists to lead the Lakers to a 122-107 win over Denver on Wednesday night. Los Angeles has a 2-0 lead in the first-round playoff series.