Tomorrow's story tonight ...

The Portland Trail Blazers have not asked for permission to speak to Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak about their opening for the same position, team spokesman John Black said before Game 4 on Saturday night.

An Internet report last month suggested the Trail Blazers had a strong interest in speaking to Kupchak about their GM vacancy. They have not asked the Lakers to speak to him as of Saturday evening, however.

Kupchak has a multi-season contract with the Lakers and publicly, at least, has not expressed any interest in leaving for another job despite persistent rumors that he was unhappy with team executive Jim Buss over offseason cost-cutting moves.

The Lakers did not renew the contract of Ronnie Lester, Kupchak's longtime assistant, last summer and trimmed the scouting staff. The trade of Lamar Odom to the Dallas Mavericks for a draft pick also was viewed as a money-saving measure.

Dallas sent the Lakers a first-round draft pick and an $8.9-million trade exception.

Kupchak, a former Lakers player, has served as a team executive for 25 years, including 12 as general manager. He took over for Jerry West for the 2000-01 season, and guided the Lakers to championships in '01, '02, '09 and '10.

Tomorrow's story tonight ...

The Twitter threats to Steve Blake, his wife and their three young sons have been reported to police authorities and NBA security officials for further investigation, Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak told this newspaper before Game 3 on Friday night.

Blake's wife, Kristen, reported she had blocked 500 Twitter accounts after receiving profane threats after Blake missed what would have been the go-ahead 3-pointer in the closing seconds of the Lakers' loss in Game 2 on Wednesday.

The insults continued Thursday and Friday, however.

"That gets me emotional right now," Lakers coach Mike Brown. "I feel bad for his family, for him. That shouldn't be a part of life. To have somebody do stuff like that, to attack your family, your kids. No. I don't like that. I feel bad for him.

"You understand the passion and the love people have for this team. I respect that. I respect you guys (reporters) saying what you say about me and Steve. That's your job and you respect people saying that. But golly, everybody has families.

"You hate to say it, but he's just got to get himself ready for the game. When I saw it, it's a shame, it's a doggone shame. You want to say something about me or him, that's fine. But the wife and the kids? Come on, give me a break."

They're nothing if not resilient, these Lakers.

Pretty good at the free-throw line, too.

Some how, some way, the Lakers found a way to scratch out a 99-96 victory over the younger and more athletic Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 3 of their Western Conference semifinal series Friday night at Staples Center.

The Lakers made 41 of 42 from the line, including two each from Metta World Peace and Kobe Bryant to hold off the Thunder in the closing seconds and narrow their deficit in the best-of-7 series to 2-1. Game 4 is tonight at Staples Center.

Bryant scored a team-leading 36 points, making 18 of 18 from the line. Andrew Bynum added 15 points and 11 rebounds. Pau Gasol, Ramon Sessions and Steve Blake each added 12 points for the Lakers.

Kevin Durant scored 31 for the Thunder, but missed a 3-pointer that would have tied the score at 99-all inside the final three seconds.

The Thunder led 92-87 with 2:41 remaining and the Lakers clinging to life. The Lakers had erased a five-point deficit for an 83-all tie moments earlier only to see the Thunder surge in front again. Then the Lakers fought back to within 88-87.

Kendrick Perkins sank two free throws and Russell Westbrook stole the ball from Bryant and scored on a dunk to make it 92-87. The Lakers rallied one more time, taking a 93-93 after Bryant sank two free throws with 1:09 remaining.

Kevin Durant responded with a jumper to put the Thunder back in front.
Bryant gave the Lakers 95-94 lead with two free throws with 33.8 seconds left.

Lakers power forward/center Pau Gasol was named the winner of the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award, given annually to the player, coach or trainer who shows outstanding service and dedication to the community. "Gasol has been a tireless worker on behalf of various UNICEF causes," the NBA said in a news release Friday morning.

Gasol has been a UNICEF ambassador for seven years.

The award is voted on by members of the Professional Basketball Writers Association. Other finalists this season for the award were Josh Smith of the Atlanta Hawks, Jason Terry of the Dallas Mavericks and J.J. Redick of the Orlando Magic.

Metta World Peace, Gasol's Lakers teammate, won the award last season for his work in promoting the treatment and diagnosis of mental illness. Samuel Dalembert won the award in 2009-10 for helping the relief efforts in Haiti after a devastating earthquake in his homeland.

Steve Blake missed what would have been the go-ahead 3-pointer in the closing seconds of Game 2 on Wednesday night, which was difficult enough for him to swallow. Then came a string of threats to him, his wife and their three young sons via Twitter.

Blake's wife, Kristen, tweeted that she had to block 500 accounts after the game, including several profanity-laced threats against the veteran player, his wife and their three young sons. Blake said he didn't read them, but his wife made him aware of them.

"It's pretty disappointing," Blake said Thursday. "There's a lot of hateful people out there, you know? I just don't appreciate it when it's toward my family. You can come at me all you want, but when you say things about my wife and kids, that makes me upset."

NBA commissioner David Stern will attend Game 3 on Friday night, but is not scheduled to speak with reporters, two league sources told this newspaper. Stern often holds a pregame news conference during the playoffs with Lakers beat reporters.

There are a number of issues open for discussion, particularly Stern's decision to block the Lakers' multi-player and multi-team trade that would have netted them point guard Chris Paul back in December. Stern has never fully explained his reasons.

Stern did have a prolonged discussion about the vetoed Paul trade with veteran NBA reporter Chris Sheridan during a news conference during the All-Star Weekend, but answered few of Sheridan's questions substantively.

Stern also has made headlines recently for suggesting he would like to see the league shorten the regular season to 66 games from the current 82. He said he liked the idea of beginning the season on Christmas Day.

In addition, he said he would consider adopting the goaltending rules used in international play, in which a player can handle the ball immediately after it hits the rim, which is currently outlawed in the NBA rulebook.

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Andrew Bynum skipped Tuesday' afternoon's media session and was fined $15,000 by the NBA for skipping out the moment the Lakers' practice ended. He made up for it by speaking after Wednesday's morning shootaround. The 7-foot Bynum has stopped speaking to reporters before games.

Devin Ebanks received a $25,000 fine from the league for what the NBA said were his "actions prior to and following his ejection" from the Lakers' 29-point loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 on Monday night. Ebanks was ejected for shoving the Thunder's Royal Ivey during a minor scuffle on the court and then punched a chair on the Lakers' bench and removed his jersey as he went to the locker room.

Stu Jackson, the NBA's punishment czar, has been busy handing out fines and suspensions to the Lakers lately. Metta World Peace got things going with an elbow to the head of Oklahoma City's James Harden in an April 22 game at Staples Center, drawing a seven-game suspension from the league.

Earlier in the season, Lakers coach Mike Brown was suspended for one game for making contact with referee Zach Zarba during a game against the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City. Brown blamed himself for the ejection and has been unwilling to criticize his players for their transgressions because of his own suspension.

Tomorrow's story today ...

OKLAHOMA CITY -- The Lakers said all the right things Tuesday after getting picked-and-rolled to pieces during their 29-point loss Monday to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal series.

Game 2 is Wednesday, and the Lakers said they must play with a greater understanding of the oldest play in the game if they hope to steal a victory and send the series to Staples Center with something resembling momentum.

Games 3 and 4 are Friday and Saturday in Los Angeles.

The Lakers haven't rebounded from a 2-0 deficit to win a best-of-7 series since storming back to defeat the San Antonio Spurs 4-2 in the 2004 conference semifinals. The last time they were down 2-0, the Dallas Mavericks swept them last May.

"We're all pretty edgy, but still pretty loose at the same time," Kobe Bryant said after Tuesday's film session and workout. "We're just looking forward to our next opportunity. We're a team that doesn't get down when we get blown out.

"We've been blown out a bunch of times."

In fact, the Denver Nuggets smoked them by 17 points in Game 6 of the conference quarterfinals last week only to see them regroup to win Game 7 and advance to the next round. The Thunder should not be confused with the Nuggets, however.

Oklahoma City picked apart the Lakers' lackluster defense, exploiting their breakdowns and making them pay by sinking 44 of 83 shots (53 percent). Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant seemed to have acres of open space for their shots.

Westbrook scored 27 points on 10-for-15 shooting and added nine assists.

Durant had 25 points on 8-for-16 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds.

Bryant wouldn't say whether he would guard Westbrook from the start of Wednesday's game at the Chesapeake Energy Arena, but his "no comment" was accompanied with a wide smile, which indicated that it was likely.

"We've got to address that and not give him those pot shots," Bryant said of trying to keep Westbrook from breaking free on the pick-and-roll to shoot jump shots. "It's something he's worked on. It's not a weakness anymore, it's a strength."

Bryant slowed Westbrook during the Lakers' victory over the Thunder in the conference quarterfinals in 2010, and they used it as a springboard to a second consecutive NBA championship. Times have changed, though.

The Lakers were favorites then, but underdogs now.

Westbrook, a former UCLA standout, showed precisely why in Game 1, running the pick-and-roll to perfection.

"Historically, for whatever reason, we have not been a good defensive screen-and-roll team," Bryant said. "We talked about that a little bit (Tuesday), things we have to do differently, things we have to do a little better. It's not a one-on-one type of thing."

Here's what Magic Johnson said Friday on ESPN about Mike Brown's future: "Mike Brown will not be coaching the Lakers if they lose this game (Game 7 tonight against the Denver Nuggets). There would be so much pressure on (Lakers executive vice president of player personnel) Jim Buss and the Lakers organization to get rid of him."

UPDATE: The Lakers responded with a written statement Saturday afternoon.

"The opinion expressed yesterday by Magic Johnson regarding Mike Brown was his personal opinion and was made in his role as a TV analyst," the email read. "His words were not made on behalf of the Los Angeles Lakers, and in no way do they reflect the feelings or position of team ownership or management. We are fully committed to and supportive of Mike Brown as coach of the Lakers."

Last May, on the eve of the Lakers' loss to the eventual champion Dallas Mavericks, Johnson called for team owner Jerry Buss to "blow up this team." The Lakers' moves since Johnson's comment last May have been more subtle. However, they did attempt to trade Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom to get Chris Paul, a deal that never went through.

DENVER -- Kobe Bryant did not attend the Lakers' morning shootaround because of a stomach ailment. The Lakers said they would update Bryant's condition 90 minutes before tonight's tipoff of Game 6 against the Denver Nuggets.

The Lakers lead the best-of-7 Western Conference quarterfinal series 3-2. Bryant leads the Lakers with an average of 31.2 points during the series and is coming off a 43-point game during the Lakers' loss to the Nuggets in Game 5 on Tuesday at Staples Center.

Bryant came down with food poisoning after eating a room service meal of a cheeseburger and cheesecake the night before Game 2 of the Lakers' 2002 conference finals series against the Sacramento Kings.

"He was doubled over like a shrimp," Lakers athletic trainer Gary Vitti said rather famously at the time.

Bryant played in the game, but the Lakers lost en route to a seven-game victory over the Kings they used as a springboard to their third consecutive title.

Tomorrow's notebook today ...

Closing time: the sequel.

The Lakers got it all wrong in Game 5 on Tuesday at Staples Center, which is why they must play a Game 6 on Thursday night in Denver as they make a second attempt to close out the Nuggets in their Western Conference quarterfinal series.

Since they are still ahead 3-2 in the best-of-7 series, they have a margin for error.

It's a small consolation, however.

The Lakers' frustration was evident after they stormed back from a 15-point deficit in the fourth quarter only to fall short in the closing seconds, tumbling 102-99 to the Nuggets and setting up match point No. 2 Thursday night.

Game 7, if necessary, would be Saturday at Staples Center, but the Lakers weren't thinking about a winner-take-all game after squandering their first try at eliminating the Nuggets and advancing to play the Oklahoma City Thunder in the next round.

"They're just not going to lay down for you, so hopefully, we learned a lesson," Lakers power forward Pau Gasol said late Tuesday night. "We made it tougher for ourselves, but now we have to go up to Denver and try to win Game 6."

For openers, the Lakers need to shoot better than the 33.3 percent (15 of 45) they shot during the first half of Game 5, when they didn't take advantage of the Nuggets' 41.3 percent shooting (19 of 46) and trailed by 49-43.

What's more, the Lakers must ditch their customary languid style of play in favor of a more frenetic approach to Game 6. The Nuggets have won twice in this series just by outhustling the Lakers to rebounds and loose balls.

"I feel these guys are champions," Lakers coach Mike Brown said. "I feel these guys are winners and I feel that we had an opportunity (Tuesday) and we let it get away from us. The one thing our guys have to understand, though, is we're still up 3-2.

"We're still in control of the series. We just have to go on the road and get a win."

It isn't as if the Lakers haven't closed-out the Nuggets in Denver. The Lakers did it during a 4-2 victory in the conference finals in 2009 and in a four-game sweep in the opening round in 2008. This is a different Nuggets team, however.

Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith play for the New York Knicks now and Chauncey Billups and Kenyon Martin are with the Clippers. Nene plays for the Washington Wizards and Chris Andersen sits on the Denver bench.

These Nuggets are faster, younger and more energetic.

"The running of the game, the tempo of the game, and the pace we play, they're getting tired of hearing it ... but our only chance to beat them is to run them and play with tremendous energy and intensity," Denver coach George Karl said.

"I think it's hard to win (a close-out game). I've been blessed to win a few series and it's hard to win the next game. It's the hardest thing in the world to win the fourth game. I don't care who you're playing, it's hard to win that fourth game."

World Peace update

Thursday, Metta World Peace will serve the seventh and final game of his suspension for elbowing James Harden of the Thunder in the head during the Lakers' double-overtime victory over Oklahoma City on April 22.

World Peace (the former Ron Artest) will be eligible to play if there is a Game 7 on Saturday or in Game 1 against the Thunder if the Lakers defeat the Nuggets tonight. He has been practicing with the team, but can't be in the arena during games.

Small forward follies

Devin Ebanks is averaging 4.6 points as World Peace's replacement, making 10 of 23 shots (43.5 percent). Matt Barnes, who is Ebanks' backup, is averaging five points on 11-for-40 shooting (27.5 percent), including 2 of 20 from 3-point range (10 percent).

Tomorrow's game story tonight ...

Kobe Bryant swished one 3-pointer and then another and then another.

Suddenly, the Lakers had a chance to win where none existed moments earlier. All their missed shots and misplaced confidence was forgotten with three electric trips down the Staples Center court late Tuesday night.

Then, just as quickly, the cavernous arena went silent. Bryant could not rally the Lakers past the Denver Nuggets in Game 5 of their Western Conference quarterfinal series. He got them close, but their deficit was too great to make up.

After squandering almost all of a 15-point fourth-quarter lead, the Nuggets held on for a 102-99 victory and forced the Lakers to return to Denver for Game 6 on Thursday night. Game 7, if necessary, would be played Saturday at Staples Center.

The Lakers lead the best-of-7 series 3-2.

Bryant scored 43 points on 14-for-32 shooting, including 5 of 11 from beyond the 3-point arc. He found his touch only after the Lakers stumbled and bumbled their way to a double-digit deficit after a lackluster start to their first try at closing out the Nuggets.

"I wouldn't say our energy kicked in, in the fourth quarter," Bryant said. "I almost bailed us out, that's what happened. it wasn't the energy. I just started making shots left and right that got us back in the ballgame.

"That's not something we can use to rely on to get us to the championship. We all have to step up and we all have to contribute and we all have to play with that kind of energy and sense of urgency."

Denver played with all the fire and passion that was lacking in the Lakers' game. The Nuggets couldn't put away the Lakers only because they couldn't stop Bryant in the fourth quarter, when he scored 14 points on 5-for-12 shooting.

Bryant's flurry of 3s got the Lakers within 98-96 with 59.1 seconds remaining. After he and Denver guard Andre Miller traded misses, Al Harrington sank a free throw to give the Nuggets a 99-96 lead with 28.6 seconds left.

Bryant missed a 3, but after the Nuggets' Ty Lawson made a free throw, the Lakers' Ramon Sessions sank a 3 from the right wing to make it 100-99 with 14 seconds left. The Lakers had one more chance after Miller made two free throws.

Actually, they had two more shots at tying the score.

Bryant missed a 3 from the left wing and Sessions missed a 3 from the right.

That's when Staples Center finally went silent.

"Nobody said this was going to be easy," Lakers coach Mike Brown said. "We're sitting in a good spot. We just made it tough on ourselves."

Actually, Andrew Bynum said Monday he believed that close-out games were easy. What he forgot to mention is that they're only easy if you play well.

The Lakers played like they thought they could just roll the ball onto the court and the Nuggets would run away in terror. Nuggets coach George Karl called Bynum's comments bulletin board material.

Brown agreed when a reporter recalled Karl's statement.

"If a guy wants to say that, he's got to back it up," Brown said.

Bynum scored 16 points on 5-for-8 shooting and grabbed 11 rebounds. But he couldn't stop Denver's JaVale McGee from swinging a game in the Nuggets' favor with his hyperkinetic play around the basket for the second time in this series.

McGee scored 21 points on 9-for-12 shooting and took a team-leading 14 rebounds in a reserve role. He scored on a variety of dunks, hook shots and putbacks that had Bynum and fellow 7-footer Pau Gasol shaking their heads in frustration.

"Give McGee credit," Brown said. "He was the difference in the game."

Miller led the Nuggets with 24 points, and Arron Afflalo added 19 points.

Bryant, Bynum and Matt Barnes, who had 11 points, were the only Lakers to score in double figures. The Lakers made only 35 of 90 shots (38.9 percent). They missed 30 of their first 45 shots and trailed by 49-43 at halftime.

To be sure, the Lakers' start wasn't as poor as their no-show in the first half of Game 3 on Friday, and given all that went haywire, they could have been in far worse shape than to be down by only six points at halftime.

After all, they were down by 24 points early in the second quarter in Game 3. But they recovered nicely and won Game 4 with a fourth-quarter burst that included key 3-pointers from guards Sessions and Steve Blake.

The Lakers have closed out the opposition on the first try in 11 of their last 12 times since 2008. They also have won 33 of their last 34 series when having a chance to close out their opponent at any point. They blew a 3-1 lead to Phoenix in 2006.

Tomorrow's story tonight ...

Their numbers have been mediocre at best and appalling at worst, but the Lakers said they wouldn't be where they are without fill-ins Devin Ebanks and Matt Barnes. They wouldn't have a chance to eliminate the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday without them.

Metta World Peace won't play in what looms as a decisive Game 5 at Staples Center, sitting out the fifth game of a seven-game suspension for cracking James Harden of the Oklahoma City Thunder in the head with an elbow April 22.

The Lakers might have missed World Peace's defensive tenacity and his resurgent offensive game at times during their Western Conference quarterfinal series against the Nuggets. The series might not have reached a Game 5 if he hadn't been banned.

But the Lakers still hold a commanding 3-1 lead over the Nuggets, and the small forward position has been the least of their worries in their tune-up for a much-anticipated conference semifinal against the Thunder.

The Lakers' only loss to the Nuggets, a clunker in Game 3 on Friday, wasn't about offense or defense. It was about getting outrebounded by the energetic Nuggets and a poor start from center Andrew Bynum, who made amends in Game 4.

Ebanks filled in capably for World Peace (the former Ron Artest) in Game 1, scoring 12 points on 5-for-6 shooting. It's been pretty much downhill for him ever since, if you look strictly at the statistics. He's averaging five points and 4.3 rebounds.

Barnes' hustle has been difficult to miss and is welcomed by Lakers coaches and players alike, but his poor shooting touch has been impossible to ignore, too. Barnes is averaging 3.5 points on 15.4 percent shooting (4 of 26) while serving as Ebanks' backup.

"Oh, they've done a fantastic job," Lakers guard Kobe Bryant said of Ebanks and Barnes. "Ebanks has really stepped up and proved his worth. When Metta gets back, I'm sure we'll utilize him a great deal."

Lakers coach Mike Brown bristled when asked if Ebanks and Barnes had "done enough" in the absence of World Peace, who averaged only 7.7 points during the regular season but scored in double figures in nine of his final 10 games.

"What's your definition of enough?" Brown asked a reporter. "Does enough mean we're up 3-1? Or does enough mean you're looking strictly at their stats and trying to compare them to LeBron James' stats at small forward?

"We're up 3-1, so for me, we've gotten enough."

Tomorrow's story tonight ...

Lakers power forward Jordan Hill said Tuesday night he was "shocked" to learn he had been charged Monday morning with a felony assault stemming from a Feb. 29 incident with a girlfriend while he was a member of the Houston Rockets.

Hill wasn't sure whether he'd have to appear in court in Houston.

"Right now, I'm just letting my agent and attorney take care of it and we'll see what's going on," the 24-year-old Hill said before the Lakers faced the Denver Nuggets in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series at Staples Center.

"I don't know anything. I just got a phone call and I was definitely shocked, just like everybody else was. Just gotta deal with it."

Hill declined to comment about the charge Monday, issuing a prepared statement through the Lakers and his agent, Kevin Bradbury. But he did say he didn't expect to miss any playoff games or practices because of his legal situation.

"I have no idea," Hill added Tuesday. "I'm just trying to focus on the game right now. This is the playoffs. I'm trying to get a ring for the first time. I want a ring. This is the first time I've been in the playoffs since I've been in the league.

"And I just want to go out there and have fun."

The Harris County District Attorney charged Hill with striking his girlfriend, Darlene Luna, and placing her in a chokehold after an argument at Hill's Houston home in February. The Lakers acquired Hill from the Rockets on March 15.

"I talked to him briefly," Lakers coach Mike Brown said of Hill, who scored 10 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in his postseason debut in Game 1 on Sunday afternoon. "I don't know what in his mind, but I don't think it will effect him."

Tomorrow's story tonight ...

So, exactly how did the Lakers muzzle the Denver Nuggets in Game 1, limiting them to only 88 points on 35.6 percent shooting Sunday afternoon at Staples Center? The Lakers said it was a good defense; the Nuggets said it was cheating.

Denver coach George Karl said Lakers center Andrew Bynum was guilty of playing an illegal zone defense on "about 30" possessions, which helped to account for his NBA-record tying 10 blocked shots.

"If people cut through the lane, you can touch them and you can stand there the whole time," a smiling Bynum said when told of Karl's accusation after the Lakers' practice Monday in El Segundo. "That's part of the game."

The Nuggets seemed determined to take the ball at Bynum and fellow 7-footer Pau Gasol, and they paid the price. The Lakers blocked a playoff franchise record 15 shots and were never threatened late en route to a 103-88 victory.

The Lakers did an especially fine job of containing Nuggets point guard Ty Lawson, who averaged a team-leading 16.4 points during the regular season but scored only seven points on 3-for-11 shooting with two assists.

Additionally, the Lakers limited the Nuggets to only a handful of fast breaks in Game 1. Denver, the league's top scoring team during the regular season with an average of 104.1 points, scored only 19 points on the run.

The Lakers held the Nuggets to 99 points or fewer in five games this season. The Lakers won three of four games during the regular season, limiting the Nuggets to 44.3 percent shooting. Denver averaged 47.6 percent shooting during the regular season.

"When we defend, we're a very, very good team," said Bynum, who also had 10 points and 13 rebounds Sunday. "When we try to outscore teams, it's a toss-up. ... Our guys did a great job of getting back. (Denver) didn't get those quick outlet passes."

Bynum said he expects the Nuggets to attempt to force the Lakers to play at a much faster pace tonight in Game 2, adding, "I think they're going to try to speed the game up more than anything and make it a track meet."

Jordan Hill has been charged with an alleged assault of a former girlfriend by the Harris County District Attorney in Houston, a felony. The celebrity gossip website TMZ first reported the story Monday. The website obtained a copy of a police report that indicates Hill allegedly assaulted former girlfriend Darlene Luna, leaving bruises on her legs and then attempted to choke her. The report was filed one month after the alleged incident.

Hill has not been arrested. If convicted, he could face up to 10 years in prison.

He said in a statement: "I'm saddened to learn of the accusations that were filed against me today. At this time I cannot comment further other than to say that my attorneys are working to gather all of the facts and evidence and I plan to cooperate completely with the authorities.

"I'd like to apologize to the Lakers organization and to all of their fans for the untimeliness of these accusations. I promise to keep my focus and attention on the playoffs during this time and to helping my team win another championship."

Hill later told reporters he didn't expect to miss any games or practices.

The Lakers acquired Hill from the Houston Rockets for Derek Fisher and a first-round draft pick March 15, part of a restructuring of their roster. Hill played only limited minutes until winning a place in the rotation in the final week of the regular season. He scored 10 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in the Lakers' victory Sunday over the Denver Nuggets in Game 1 of their opening-round playoff series.

"We are aware of the media reports alleging an incident involving Jordan Hill from two months ago when he was a member of the Houston Rockets," the Lakers said in a statement emailed to reporters. "We do not have any details regarding these reports and therefore, as well as due to the personal and leg aspects, it would not be appropriate for us to comment."

The Lakers referred further questions to Hill's agent, Kevin Bradbury.

Tomorrow's story tonight ...

The playoffs were once the exclusive Lakers domain of superstar guard Kobe Bryant. Anything and everything seemed to be centered on him, and his teammates were simply along for the ride as the Lakers charged through the postseason.

It worked well enough while they won two championships in three trips to the NBA Finals from 2008 to 2010. He won consecutive Finals MVP awards while guiding the Lakers to victories over the Orlando Magic in '09 and the Boston Celtics in '10.

New postseason, new routine.

Bryant has encouraged -- or maybe demanded -- the rest of the team step up. They are no longer a supporting cast, acting as his wingmen, but active participants because he trusts them and knows they can play to a higher level.

Certainly, it was evident as the Lakers edged away from the Denver Nuggets in Game 1 on Sunday afternoon at Staples Center. Bryant asked his teammates to do more, and they delivered during a comprehensive 103-88 victory.

"You have to force the game on them," Bryant said. "It's very easy sometimes when a player has a lot of talent to want to do everything, but that's not going to get it done. You have to have everybody on the floor making decisions.

"In turn, it makes us a better team."

Bryant has been after his teammates to accept larger roles all season, but especially after a left shin injury sidelined him for seven games earlier this month. He sat on the bench and played the role of an assistant coach, tutoring and mentoring.

Even two of the newest Lakers got the message.

"He told me, 'If we go down, we want you shooting the ball. If you shoot 20 shots, shoot 20 shots, but stay aggressive,'" said point guard Ramon Sessions, who scored 14 points on 6-for-11 shooting in his playoff debut.

"If Kobe says it, hey, I'm good to go."

Jordan Hill, another Laker making his playoff debut, got an earful, too.

Hill added to the Lakers' newfound balance by scoring 10 points and taking 10 rebounds in 24 minutes, 17 seconds in a reserve role. He and Sessions were acquired in separate trades March 15, no longer newcomers but important contributors.

"Just got to go out and do it," Hill said. "It's got to be a team effort. Kobe is relying on everybody on the floor. Everybody is relying on each other. Everybody can do everything. It's a team thing. Everybody knows Kobe's the greatest. He can do it.

"But Kobe's trying to put the team first."

Matt Barnes said Saturday afternoon that he would play in Game 1 against the Denver Nuggets on Sunday at Staples Center despite suffering from a sprained right ankle that forced him from the Lakers' victory April 21 over the Oklahoma City Thunder and sidelined him for Thursday's regular-season finale against the Sacramento Kings.

Barnes expects to serve as a backup to Devin Ebanks at small forward.

Metta World Peace will serve the second game of his seven-game suspension.

"I'm going to play no matter what," Barnes said. "We know (World Peace) is not here for the first round. There's nothing we can do about it. We just have to play hard. I want to come in a provide energy and do what I do before I got hurt."

Asked what troubled him most about his sprained ankle, Barnes said, "Moving."

Friday afternoon reading ...

No more games on consecutive nights. No more games on back-to-back-to-back nights either. No more days without practice because the players are too exhausted.

Goodbye lockout-impacted regular season. Hello playoffs.

The third-seeded Lakers begin the postseason Sunday afternoon against the No. 6 Denver Nuggets at Staples Center. Game 2 is Tuesday at Staples, with the best-of-7 series then shifting to Denver's Pepsi Center for Game 3 on Friday and Game 4 on May 6.

Lakers coach Mike Brown can't wait. It would seem the hard part is over.

Now the Lakers can show what they've learned from their new coach.

"For as short as the season was, with no training camp or practices, I feel good where our team is sitting," Brown said. "I thought our guys did a nice job of trying to learn whatever we were throwing out to them initially.

"They've made changes. We've made changes. I think it's been a good thing."

Brown didn't have the time he needed to install his new offensive and defensive schemes after taking over for the retired Phil Jackson last May. Brown had only two weeks and two exhibitions to prepare his team once the lockout ended in December.

The Lakers learned on the run, and after some trials and tribulations, they began to adapt after the All-Star break in late February. It wasn't easy for them to ditch Jackson's triangle offense in favor of Brown's low-post oriented game plan.

They began the season struggling to top 100 points, but by the end they were reaching it comfortably and occasionally at the expense of their defense. Their offense started with Kobe Bryant as the focal point back in December, but became more diverse with 7-footer Andrew Bynum playing a larger role.

"I think our guys have done a marvelous job of finishing third in the West when we could have easily finished sixth, seven, eighth or whatever and not thought twice about it because of all the changes we went through," Brown said.

"The (offensive) foundation is pretty much the same, but we've tweaked it here and there. We've also tweaked some of our half-court (plays) to some of our guys' strengths now that we know what our guys' strengths are."

Brown figured it would be difficult, but "it was probably worse," than he imagined. "It was the toughest season I've been a part of," he added. "All I can say is we had to do stuff on the fly. In the past, I kind of always had a hard time letting things go."

So, if something didn't click immediately, he had to try something else.

"You had to move on to the next thing because you don't want to overload the guys with information," Brown said after the regular-season finale Thursday. "It's been a year of change for me, I know that much. A lot of learning, yes."

Metta World Peace insisted Wednesday he did not "lose it" when he elbowed James Harden of the Oklahoma City Thunder in the head giving him a concussion during the Lakers' double-overtime victory Sunday afternoon at Staples Center.

World Peace also said he reached out to Harden through a third party and was happy to learn he was OK. Harden couldn't continue in Sunday's game and did not play in the Thunder's contest Tuesday against the Sacramento Kings.

"We're probably going to see each other in the playoffs, potentially, so I didn't want to do any direct calls. Stay competitive," World Peace said after the Lakers' practice. "Through a friend, they said he was doing OK. ...

"It was a brutal elbow. When I seen it (on a replay), I was, like, ugh, immediately."

The NBA suspended World Peace for seven games, including Thursday's regular-season finale against the Kings in Sacramento. He could be done for the season if the Lakers lose a first-round playoff series against either Dallas or Denver.

World Peace expressed surprise at the length of his 14th career suspension during the latest edition of his podcast, which was released Wednesday. He declined to repeat his comments when reporters asked him about it after the Lakers' practice, however.

"I should say what's on my mind, but I don't want to make any excuses right now," he said. "It's no time for excuses. If I start talking about that, I'm going to open myself up to excuses. It's hard for me to speak about the (number of) games (of the ban)."

He went on to describe what happened on the play before he struck Harden.

"I was just way too emotional," he said. "There was a lot of passion involved, but it was erratic. It was way too much. Definitely wasn't meant to hit him how I hit him. That's the best way I could describe those sequence of plays and that erratic passion. ...

"Who can write up a left-hand dunk and then all of a sudden somebody is right behind you? It's hard to draw that up and to play something like that. It was just the worst timing for me. The way I'm feeling right now, (I'm) back to that elite level.

"It's funny because a lot of guys that was able to guard me early (in the season), they have no chance now. They can't guard me. My game's feeling great. It's just the worse timing for me right now, but I'm happy that James is OK."