Even on a bad knee, Kobe Bryant had no problem giving the Los Angeles Lakers an early leg up in the NBA Western Conference finals, beating the Phoenix Suns 128-107 in Monday's opening game. Bryant scored 40 points, Lamar Odom added 19 points and 19 rebounds, and the Lakers opened the series with ruthless offensive efficiency. Pau Gasol had 21 points for the top-seeded Lakers, who won their seventh straight playoff game and snapped the Suns' six-game streak with a phenomenal second half highlighted by Bryant's 21-point third quarter. “Kobe carried a lot of the offense tonight, no doubt,” Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. The defending NBA champion beat the third-seeded Suns at their own uptempo game when necessary, fluidly running the court to set up baskets for Bryant in his sixth straight 30-point game. Bryant then rested his sore knee for most of the fourth quarter in the 11th 40-point game of his playoff career. “They played great, one of the best games I've seen them play in the playoffs this season,” Suns coach Alvin Gentry said. “Kobe kind of controlled the whole game. When he's making his jumper like that, there's not a whole lot you can do about it.” Game 2 is Wednesday at Staples Center. Amare Stoudemire scored 23 points and Steve Nash had 13 points and 13 assists for Phoenix, who hadn't lost since April 24. Robin Lopez started at center and scored 14 points in his playoff debut, but the visitors couldn't keep up in their first conference finals appearance since 2006. Both teams swept their second-round series to earn their third postseason date in five years, but the Lakers didn't allow a week off to affect their remarkable execution. Bryant alternated jumpers and strong drives while Los Angeles pulled away, showing no problems with rust or nagging injuries despite barely practicing for the past week. His 13-for-23 shooting performance included three 3-pointers and 11 free throws with just one miss. “He's been very optimistic through the whole week,” Jackson said. “He felt like he got exactly what (rest) he needed to have. He was attentive and involved.” Bryant's teammates were nearly as impressive despite a game offensive effort by the Suns, who ran into the same height problems faced by Utah and Oklahoma City earlier in the Lakers' playoff run. Los Angeles made 58 percent of its shots and committed just nine turnovers in Game 1 - its third straight single-digit turnover game - while outrebounding the smaller Suns 42-34. Jackson revealed before the game that Bryant's right knee was drained “a while ago,” moving it to the top of the injury list for last season's NBA Finals MVP. But Bryant didn't show any obvious effects from his litany of injuries, and he bounced back up after hitting his head on Jason Richardson's knee during a drive in the first quarter. The game began at the Suns' favored tempo, with both clubs sprinting up and down for quick baskets. The Lakers rallied from an early deficit with 11 consecutive points, and their 35 first-quarter points - capped by a dynamic baseline jumper by Bryant over two defenders at the buzzer - were Los Angeles' most in any quarter of the playoffs.
