Lakers Continue To Be Nuggets Nemesis

The Denver Nuggets cruised to an easy win over the Miami Heat. They took advantage of a tired Los Angeles Clippers squad and swept their six-game road trip. However, the Los Angeles Lakers continue to be the team that gives the Denver fits. The Nuggets couldn’t pulled out a victory over the Lakers at home and have now lost their previous two at home – ironically both the losses came against the Los Angeles teams.

Denver was able to contain Kobe Bryant, who scored 20 points on 7 of 23 shots. However, it was the Lakers size once again that got the best of the Nuggets. Pau Gasol had 13 points and 17 rebounds, while Andrew Bynum was huge in the paint and scored 22 points and had 10 rebounds.

On the Nuggets side of the ball, Danilo Gallinari and Nene were practically non-existent. Gallinari was 1-for-9, with his only shot being a three-pointer in the first half. He finished the game with only six points and was on the Nuggets bench in the final minutes of the contest.

• Nene once again struggled in the paint, making only 5-12 shots and finishing the game with a subpar 12 points and six rebounds. He missed six of his first seven shots, and finally came on strong late. His dunk late cut the Lakers lead to two, but that was as close as the Nuggets got.
• Al Harrington was by far the best Nuggets player, he led all scorers with 24 points and chipped in eight rebounds as well. He did miss a 3-pointer in the closing seconds that would have given the Nuggets a one-point advantage.
• Ty Lawson in the past was the key to beating the Lakers, but Los Angeles was able to contain Lawson in the second half and Derek Fisher was able to stay in front of Lawson on the final possession.
• Timofey Mozgov had an ugly fall in the second half after he made a fast break basket. Mozgov was helped off the floor by his teammates and x-rays on Mozgov’s rolled ankle came back negative and the big man is unlikely to play tonight against Portland.
• Arron Afflalo’s game is slowly starting to come back. He is doing a better job of working off the ball, getting easy baskets on the fast break and concentrating on defense. He did an admirable job defending Bryant and scored seven points.