N.B.A. Playoffs - Spurs Crush Jazz for 2-0 Lead - NYTimes.com Tony Parker scored 18 points and the San Antonio Spurs handed visiting Utah its second-worst playoff loss in franchise history, beating the Jazz, 114-83, on Wednesday night to take a 2-0 lead in their first-round series. Gregg Popovich, named the N.B.A. coach of the year, practically put the Spurs on autopilot after a 20-0 run in the second quarter that stunned the Jazz, who had vowed to play better after the Spurs easily won Game 1. But this humiliating rout was even easier. Seven Spurs scored in double figures. The Jazz never quite greeted Parker with the hard fouls he was supposed to have coming, and the Utah frontcourt of Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap was not any more imposing on offense. Jefferson scored 10 points, and Millsap had 9. Josh Howard matched Jefferson as the team's scoring leader. Game 3 is Saturday night in Salt Lake City. The only bigger defeat for the Jazz in the playoffs was a 42-point loss to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in the 1998 N.B.A. finals. DENVER PLANS TO RUN The Nuggets figure the way to quit being beaten inside and out by the Los Angeles Lakers is to get them running up and down the court. Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum combined for 65 points in Los Angeles's 104-100 victory Tuesday night that gave the Lakers a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series, which shifts to Denver on Friday night. After falling behind early, the younger, quicker Nuggets picked up the pace and made a game of it. Now, they will try to duplicate their up-tempo style to make this a competitive series. Denver's transition game is fueled by Ty Lawson and Corey Brewer, but the Nuggets have to tighten their defense and force Bryant to take tougher shots. HAWKS" SMITH DAY TO DAY Atlanta Hawks forward Josh Smith has a strained tendon in his left knee and is day-to-day for the playoff series against the Boston Celtics. Smith had a magnetic resonance imaging exam on Wednesday morning, and the team revealed details of the injury a few hours later. It is not known if he will be able to play in Game 3, which is Friday night in Boston. Smith was injured in Atlanta's 87-80 loss in Game 2.