Once again, I’m happy to report that the Los Angeles Lakers lead the Denver Nuggets at halftime. As they lead the series 2-0, they are on their way to a 3-0 series lead (hopefully). Lets go over some key stats in the first half:

The team has 16 assists on 23 made baskets, what more can we ask for? Seriously, continue passing the ball well in the triangle offense and the points will show up on the board!

Kobe Bryant: This series, he has really emerged as a facilitator in the first half, and a threat as a scorer when needed. He only scored 4 points in the first quarter, but had 6 assists leading to plenty more points for his teammates. He has become the leader the Los Angeles Lakers were hoping he would one day become as he finally understand his true role on this team. As a Lakers fan, I can’t be any more proud of how his maturity has developed. If the Lakers can maintain their lead in the 3rd quarter, I think Kobe Bryant has a great chance at getting that highly anticipated triple double!!! He currently stands with 8 points, 5 rebound, and 6 assists.

Pau Gasol: 13 points, 1 rebound, 4 assists. I feel that Pau Gasol has really become a much more important piece of the puzzle than people are even giving him credit for. He obviously gets a lot of attention, but the little things are more important than his points. The one part of his game that I am still a bit concerned with is his rebounding. I’m not so sure that he has the intensity we are all hoping for from him, but I can’t really complain because his presence on the court is just so beneficial to this team. Luckily for him, the other guys have really stepped up and picked up the rebounds.

Lamar Odom: He has been key in every game in the 2nd half of the season as his driving to the basket has been superb. He only has 6 points in this game and his shooting has really struggled in this series, but I think the main reason for this is because he has been picking up offensive fouls too often as he drives to the hoop recently. He does however have 4 rebounds and will continue to rack up the stats to help this team out as the primary role player.

Derek Fisher: His shot has been inconsisten recently but he has settled down and only took 3 shots in the first half. He made one shot but he has been extremely important in this team’s run. His veteran presence is very important and will continue to benefit this team.

The bench: not enough can possibly be said about how much they have helped this team grow. Kobe Bryant was in foul trouble early and Sasha Vujacic took the load upon himself and played superb defense. Sasha Vujacic had 5 points in the first half and is finally coming into his own this team, at the perfect time. Jordan Farmar has also been huge at the point position. Allen Iverson is one of the key players on the Nuggets and when he struggles, this team struggles. Farmar has played great defense on him and has even managed to build some stats of his own with 6 points and 2 assists. Vladimir Radmanovic is not a part of the bench, but his three point shooting has finally emerged as a key to this team’s offense. He struggled adapting to the triangle offense and was known as the “space cadet” of the Los Angeles Lakers franchise, but the reason the Lakers signed him, his consistent shooting from beyond the arc, has become superb and he has been clutch.

The Lakers will go into the 2nd half with a lead of 7 points, look for Kobe Bryant to take a few more shots in the 3rd quarter to try and push the lead but don’t be surprised if he continues to dish out the assists for easy layups. As Kobe Bryant continues to shoot well, the defense will have to collapse and will have to leave some guys wide open for easy baskets. That is the real advantage of this teams offense, too many options and too little defense on the part of the Denver Nuggets.

My prediction stands from earlier: The Los Angels Lakers will defeat the Denver Nuggets and take 3-0 series lead.