Down 11 in 3rd, Lakers rally by Nuggets
February 28, 2010
LOS ANGELES (AP)—Lamar Odom(notes) scored nine of his 20 points in the fourthquarter, Pau Gasol(notes) had 15 points and 14 rebounds, and the Los Angeles Lakersovercame an 11-point third-quarter deficit to beat the Denver Nuggets 95-89 onSunday.
Kobe Bryant(notes) was just 3 for 17 from the field, finishing with 14 points and12 assists. The two-time scoring champion was 1 for 9 during the first threequarters—the only field goal coming on a layup with 5:37 left in the openingperiod.
Carmelo Anthony(notes) scored 21 points for Denver before fouling out for thesecond time this season with 2:13 to play and the Nuggets down by four. The losswas their first in three meetings this season with the defending NBA champions,who beat them in last year’s Western Conference finals. Denver has blowndouble-digit leads in nine of its 20 losses this season.
Denver Nuggets' Carmelo An… AP – Feb 28, 6:24 pm EST Denver Nuggets' Nene, cent… AP – Feb 28, 5:23 pm EST
Denver Nuggets' J.R. Smith… AP – Feb 28, 5:23 pm EST
Denver Nuggets' Carmelo An… AP – Feb 28, 5:22 pm EST
Denver Nuggets' Nene of Br… AP – Feb 28, 5:13 pm EST
Denver Nuggets' Nene, left… AP – Feb 28, 5:00 pm EST
Denver Nuggets' Carmelo An… AP – Feb 28, 4:59 pm EST
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Lakers guard Derek Fisher(notes), who picked up two fouls 57 seconds apart duringthe first 2 minutes of the game and went to the bench, didn’t get his thirduntil he fouled Chauncey Billups(notes) behind the 3-point line with 5 1/2 minutes left inthe game. Billups made all three free throws to tie the score at 82. But theNuggets did not make a field goal over the final 4:10, ending their three-gamewinning streak.
Kenyon Martin(notes) missed his first seven shots in his return to the lineup andfinished 3 for 11 with six points in 36 minutes. He missed Friday night’s107-102 win over Detroit because of a bruised left knee, the same one thatforced him to miss two games earlier this month because of tendinitis.
Ron Artest(notes) scored 17 points for the Lakers, who gained a half-game to idleCleveland in the overall standings and trail the Cavaliers by one game for theleague’s best record. They lead Denver by 5 1/2 games for the Western Conferencelead.
Martin committed three fouls and two turnovers before making his first fieldgoal with 8:37 left in the third quarter to give the Nuggets a 54-50 lead afterthe Lakers had rallied from a 13-point deficit in the first half.
Bryant received his 11th technical foul of the season with 1:13 left in thefirst quarter for turning around and yelling at referee Ken Mauer about anon-call while play was going on, after a pass from Odom was slapped away fromBryant by J.R. Smith(notes) near the Lakers’ basket with Denver leading 25-21.
Nuggets reserve guard Ty Lawson(notes) left the game with 5:53 left in the firsthalf because of a bruised left shoulder.
This was the first meeting in which both teams had their regular startinglineups intact. On Nov. 3 at Denver, the Nuggets ended a six-game winning streakby the Lakers.
In the second meeting on Feb. 5 at Staples Center, Billups compensated forthe absence of the injured Anthony by equaling a career high with 39 points in a126-113 win that snapped an eight-game winning streak by the Lakers.
^Note: Denver coach George Karl, who missed Thursday’s game at Golden Stateto undergo treatment for throat and neck cancer, doesn’t expect to miss anotherone until March 10 at Minnesota. He also is doubtful for the game at New Orleanstwo nights later, and possibly another one during Denver’s five-game trip at theend of the month. “I’m not going to miss treatments. So when we’re on the roadduring the middle of the week, I’m probably going to miss those games,” saidKarl, who received good wishes and a warm handshake from Jack Nicholson atcourtside. “I’m going to be tough, but I’m not going to be stupid-tough. Theradiation and the chemotherapy treatment will get harsher and more difficult inweeks to come, but putting off the treatment would not have made any sense.”
