LAKERS JUMP OUT TO SERIES LEAD IN NBA FINALS

Kobe Bryant scored 12 points despite foul trouble, Pau Gasol added 11 points and seven rebounds, and the Los Angeles Lakers took a 50-41 lead over the Boston Celtics at halftime of Game 1 in the NBA finals Thursday night. The 12th finals meeting between the NBA's most entertaining rivals opened with a chippy, rough-edged first half featuring 28 fouls and 27 free throws. Both teams seemed determined to get a physical edge early in the series, starting just 27 seconds in when Ron Artest and Paul Pierce got double technical fouls after tumbling to the court with elbows locked. Bryant picked up two early fouls, but still led four Lakers starters who scored at least seven points. Rajon Rondo led the Celtics with 10 points, and Pierce added nine. Rondo's latest productive offensive game included four assists and helped cover up for combined 5-for-14 shooting by Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, who picked up three fouls. Boston and Los Angeles are meeting in the finals for the second time in three years, following the Celtics' six-game victory over the Lakers in 2008. If the first 24 minutes of the rematch are any indication, the series will be a knockdown, drag-out physical confrontation - and the supposedly finesse-oriented Lakers held their ground early. Artest's defensive showdown with Pierce, the 2008 finals MVP against his hometown team, got heated in the opening minute. Jostling for rebounding position, Artest and Pierce locked elbows while back-to-back and rolled to the court together. After they got up aggressively, the officiating crew called double technical fouls. The collision set the tone for the first quarter, which featured 18 personal fouls and 20 free throws, 12 by Boston. Boston had homecourt advantage in the clubs' 2008 meeting. This time, the Celtics will have to win at least once at Staples Center, where the Lakers went 8-0 in the first three rounds and have won 11 straight playoff games since last season's Western Conference finals. While the Lakers capitalized on their size advantage for a 23-15 rebounding edge, Boston's active hands on defense resulted in numerous tipped passes and 10 turnovers by the Lakers, who played five previous playoff games with single-digit turnover totals. After the Lakers took an early lead, the clubs played nearly five full minutes without a field goal until Jordan Farmar and Shannon Brown made driving layups to put the Lakers up 26-21 after one quarter. Artest and Derek Fisher also had two fouls apiece in the first quarter, leaving the Lakers to open the second quarter with four reserves and starting center Andrew Bynum, whose injured right knee didn't appear to limit his movement much. Garnett scored his first basket late in the second quarter, but Artest scored five quick points coming out of a timeout in the final three minutes. After Artest hit a 3-pointer, Fisher took the ball away from Pierce and fed Artest for a layup that put Los Angeles up 44-35. Rondo, whose under-the-basket layups were swatted away by Lamar Odom and Gasol, hit a long jumper at the halftime buzzer. Staples Center was packed well before the opening tip for the Lakers' third straight appearance in the NBA finals, and several thousand fans actually deigned to put on the giveaway gold T-shirts handed out by the team. The Lakers have made it to 31 of the 64 NBA finals, including 25 since moving to Los Angeles in 1963. An entertaining jump ball occurred midway through the second quarter when 5-foot-9 Nate Robinson tied up the 7-foot Gasol. The Spaniard won the tip.