Lakers await Denver’s next move

The first blow was solidly landed by the Lakers. Now come two days to watch, scheme and plan for the counterpunch before Wednesday’s Game 2 against the Denver Nuggets.

If the Lakers are headed for some tweaks after Sunday’s Game 1 victory – largely over their shot selection and transition defense – Denver is due for even more head scratching and decisions to make.

One problem for the Nuggets is how to cover Lakers center Pau Gasol, who was freed up to amass 36 points, 16 rebounds and eight assists.

Even Gasol was somewhat amazed at the ease with which the lane parted for him. “At times, at times,” he repeated, adding. “But I don’t think about it during the game. I’m just trying to take advantage of it.”

That, he did.

“Obviously, [Denver] tried to double or load up a side on me,” Kobe Bryant said at practice today, “and we do a good job of moving the basketball or hitting the open man out of that and Pau was able to make them pay.”

It could mean less attention will be paid to Bryant and more on the Lakers cast by Denver, something Lakers Coach Phil Jackson said is a possibility.

“I don’t know what the strategies are to do that exactly,” Jackson said. “Play him individually and hope for the best is probably what you have to do, but we feel in those situations our system and our offense helps us out.”

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Center DJ Mbenga took a shot to his ribs while playing a half-court game near the end of practice.

He lay on the court for several minutes, surrounded by teammates, and was taken to a hospital for X-rays… . Forward Ronny Turiaf, still feeling the effects of a sore throat that limited him to three minutes Sunday in Game 1 of the playoffs against Denver, was sent home from practice.

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There is no Shaquille O’Neal clogging the middle. No big-shot Robert Horry.

These Lakers differ from those of the three-peat era, perhaps for the better, according to Derek Fisher, a link to both.

“In terms of the past, Shaq’s presence and his dominance and confidence – a lot of times that was infectious,” Fisher said. “And Kobe in those years growing into the superstar that he really became … was infectious for a team. Often times, those two guys, because of how confident they were and the energy they gave us, energized the rest of the team.

“Our team currently is not built that way. Kobe is obviously our leader in terms of statistically carrying us every night and a lot of times his passion and energy is the determining factor in how we play. But the balance of our team is much more widespread compared with our teams in the past. We have 10, 11, 12 guys sometimes on this team that can realistically help us win games. That’s not something we had the luxury of possessing before.”

Fisher, who is playing with a partial tear of a tendon in his right foot, added that he intends to find a middle ground between resting it and practicing to remain sharp.

“The benefit about the playoffs is you have at least one day off in between games and give yourself a chance to recover,” he said. “But sometimes, like in these first three games [against Denver], you have two or three days off before games, so there will be an opportunity for me to rest the day after a game … and then kind of work my way back into things … and make sure I’m keeping my rhythm up.”

jonathan.abrams@latimes.com