LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Kobe Bryant said he felt like he was in his backyard, counting down the seconds.

"Ten, nine, eight," he said with a smile. "Everything was going in slow motion. It's a situation you dream about as a kid."

Some would say Bryant's still a kid at age 21, but he performed like a veteran down the stretch Wednesday night, making a 15-foot jumper over Jason Kidd with 2.6 seconds left to give the Los Angeles Lakers a 97-96 victory over the Phoenix Suns and a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference semifinals.

The basket, which Bryant called the biggest in his four-year career, at least so far, capped off a performance he acknowledged was below-par.

"I never got in the flow of the game, foul trouble kept me from getting me in synch with my teammates," said Bryant, who had 15 points, six assists and four rebounds along with five turnovers in 34 minutes. "They played harder tonight, they got to the loose balls, but we won."

Bryant's big basket was the first field goal for the Lakers since Shaquille O'Neal's three-point play with 4:31 left gave them a 91-86 lead.