Kobe Bryant helps Lakers take 53-43 lead over Magic at halftime of Game 1 of NBA finals

Bryant, Lakers lead Magic 53-43 at half in Game 1

LOS ANGELES — Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers grabbed the momentum away from the Orlando Magic and led at halftime.

A strong second quarter helped the Lakers turn a five-point deficit into a 53-43 lead at the break in Game 1 of the NBA finals on Thursday night.

The Lakers want to redeem themselves with the franchise’s 15th NBA championship after losing a humiliating Game 6 to Boston in the finals last year.

Orlando is in the finals for just the second time in its brief history.

Bryant scored 12 points in a 25-10 run that closed the half. The Lakers opened the spurt with 10 consecutive points, including six in a row by Bryant. He assisted on a 3-pointer by Derek Fisher before hitting two more baskets.

Bryant assisted on a basket by Lamar Odom, then Pau Gasol and Fisher scored before Bryant capped the half with a driving layup.

Jameer Nelson started the second quarter for the Magic, returning after missing 40 games because of a shoulder injury. He had an immediate impact, feeding Marcin Gortat on a dunk, assisting on a 3-pointer by Rashard Lewis and then hitting a 9-footer himself. He passed to Courtney Lee for a layup that gave the Magic a 33-28 lead.

From there, it was all Los Angeles.

Bryant led all scorers with 18 points in the half, going 9 of 18 from the field. Hedo Turkoglu led the Magic with 11 points. Dwight Howard was 1 of 4 from the floor and 6 of 8 from the line for eight points. But he and Lewis also picked up two fouls each in the half.

Led by Howard, Orlando was solid at the line, hitting 12 of 14. The Magic was just 3 of 11 from 3-point range.

Andrew Bynum, the Lakers’ starting center, played nearly 13 minutes, but he was just 3 of 6 from the floor, with six rebounds and three fouls. Trevor Ariza, Gasol and Odom had two fouls each.

The Magic led 24-22 after the opening quarter. The Lakers made two more shots than Orlando, which attempted just two 3-pointers. Howard picked up two fouls and sat down with 2:23 remaining. Bryant was 3 for 9, while Howard shot 1 for 3.

The Lakers committed a handful of errors in the final 1:16, starting with Gasol losing the ball on the baseline. Bryant missed a jumper, Jordan Farmar missed a 3-pointer and then Bryant missed again.