Kobe Bryant scores 6 as Lakers lead Magic 40-35 at halftime in Game 2 of NBA finals

Lakers lead Magic 40-35 at halftime in Game 2

LOS ANGELES — Kobe Bryant and the balanced Los Angeles Lakers led Rashard Lewis and the Orlando Magic 40-35 at halftime. Bryant scored six points, and Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom had seven each in the first 24 minutes of Game 2 of the NBA finals on Sunday night.

The Lakers shot 42 percent from the floor to Orlando’s 32 percent.

The Lakers outscored the Magic 25-20 in the second quarter despite the sharp shooting of Lewis, who made four consecutive 3-pointers and scored 18 of his 20 points in the period.

Lewis’ first 3 of the quarter pulled the Magic into a tie at 26. From there, the Lakers led the rest of half, going up by seven on a 3-pointer by Bryant before taking a five-point halftime lead.

Orlando star Dwight Howard made just one basket on four attempts in the half, giving him two field goals so far in these finals. He grabbed 11 rebounds to give the Magic a 25-17 edge on the boards.

Howard rarely got free to attempt a shot, with Gasol defending him one-on-one in between other Lakers sliding over to help.

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

Orlando is in the finals for just the second time in its brief history. The Magic lost 100-74 in Game 1 on Thursday.

For the second consecutive game, the Magic — other than Lewis — struggled from 3-point range. They were 5 of 16 at the break.

Neither team led by more than four points in the opening quarter, when there were six ties and six lead changes. The Magic committed eight of their 11 turnovers in the period.

Bryant took an extended break to start the second quarter, with Andrew Bynum anchoring the Lakers’ second unit that included Odom, Jordan Farmar, Sasha Vujacic and Luke Walton.

Bynum had five points, no rebounds and three fouls in the first half.