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Final Score: Denver 107 - LA Lakers 122

Los Angeles, CA (Sports Network) - Kobe Bryant exploded for 49 points, scoring 20 in the opening quarter and 19 in the fourth, and the Los Angeles Lakers claimed a two-game series advantage in their best-of-seven Western Conference quarterfinal with a 122-107 victory over the Denver Nuggets at Staples Center.

Bryant shot 18-of-27 from the floor, at one point hitting 10 straight shots during the first half, and also played the role of distributor at times, handing out 10 assists. Luke Walton and Pau Gasol added 18 points apiece and LA moved to Game 3, scheduled for Saturday at Denver's Pepsi Center, holding a commanding 2-0 lead.

"You just get into one of those rhythms, you know," Bryant said. "You just get into a grove and your teammates get the ball to you, and I was able to knock down some shots, make some big plays for us.

Allen Iverson had 31 points and six assists to lead the Nuggets, and Carmelo Anthony scored 23. Marcus Camby had six points and four blocked shots to go with a game-high 17 rebounds, but Denver's comeback bid fell short when Kenyon Martin, who held Bryant to 10 total points during the second and third quarters, fouled out midway through the fourth.

"They've taken some good punches at us and beaten us in different ways," Denver head coach George Karl said. "Offensively, I think we can play better than how we played and I think we usually play better defensively at home."

LA's lead entering the fourth was 89-79, but Denver was back within five after a three by J.R. Smith made it 94-89 with more than nine minutes remaining. The Nuggets continued to hang close, but Martin, who had defended Bryant well for much of the second half, picked up his sixth foul around the 5:45 mark with the Lakers holding a 101-94 lead.

Shortly thereafter, the Nuggets began to fall apart. Gasol hit two free throws for a nine-point Lakers lead, and Smith was called for a flagrant foul at the other end after throwing a forearm into LA's Sasha Vujacic, who seemed to exaggerate the contact. Bryant hit the free throw, made another after Iverson was called for a technical, then made it a 108-94 game with a three-pointer on the ensuing free possession.

Bryant knocked down a tough leaning bank shot to make it a 15-point spread with about 4 1/2 minutes to go, and then went to work on a personal battle with Smith during a fourth-quarter stretch that was nearly as impressive as his first-quarter outburst. Denver never pulled closer than 14 again.

Derek Fisher finished with 10 points and Vujacic totaled nine for the Lakers, who have won four straight, including the playoffs, against Denver.

"I think our defense stepped up a little bit at critical times," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. "We made some threes and got some things going. I thought we finished the third quarter on a high note, answering with a (Vujacic) three-pointer."

Smith scored 21 off the bench, while Linas Kleiza added 10 to go with eight boards for the Nuggets, losers of six straight playoff games.

Denver outplayed the Lakers for much of the first quarter, but still trailed 33-32 entering the second thanks in large part to Bryant, who had 20 points in the opening 12 minutes.

LA opened the second on a 14-4 spurt, taking an 11-point lead when Jordan Farmar scored on a reverse layup in transition with more than seven minutes left. Bryant hit his 10th consecutive field goal -- a three around the six- minute mark -- to make it 50-39, but Denver responded with its own spurt.

Martin capped a string of six straight Nuggets points with a bucket inside, trimming the lead to 52-47 with just over two minutes left in the half, but another late LA surge made it a 59-49 game at halftime.

Anthony hit a three -- Denver's first of the night -- inside the eight-minute mark of the third, and Denver was back within five, 67-62. A minute later, Camby hit two free throws to complete a 9-0 Nuggets run and make it a one- point game.

Iverson swiped Walton and pushed ahead for Kleiza, whose dunk gave Denver its first lead since the second quarter, but the Lakers answered with a 14-5 spurt bookended by a jumper and a three from Walton to take an 81-73 lead.