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The Lakers managed to escape Denver with a 93-89 win, hanging on down the stretch in the fourth quarter.
The Los Angeles Lakers haven't had a lot of luck on the road so far this season, but they're hoping that changes pretty soon. Soon as in Friday night, actually, as they start a six-game road-trip with a game against the Denver Nuggets.
The Lakers are off to just a 2-7 record on the road this season, hampering their status in the defending as they trail the Clippers in the Pacific Division standings. Kobe Bryant and friends likely won't settle for that for long, however, as it'd be an uphill battle if they had to enter the playoffs as the sixth seed -- their current spot.
Bryant, along with teammate Andrew Bynum, was named one of ten 2012 NBA All-Star starters on Thursday night. The Black Mamba is also being touted by SB Nation's Tom Ziller as one of the top two candidates in the MVP race, but considering he's not No. 1, he'll likely be looking to take his rage out on someone ... and that someone, likely, is going to be Nuggets starting two-guard Arron Afflalo.
Afflalo was an underrated defender last season but, in a trend that happens all too often, he's become almost a bit overrated this season as it seems he's either dropped off a bit or last year's performance was just too difficult to maintain. He's still good, of course, but will likely have trouble containing a focused Bryant as the Lakers attempt to start their road-trip off on the right foot.
For more on the Lakers, be sure to check out Silver Screen and Roll. The best Nuggets blog on the web can be found at Denver Stiffs. For all things basketball, check out SB Nation's NBA page.
Lakers Vs. Nuggets Final Score: Los Angeles Holds On For Big Road Win
The Los Angeles Lakers have come away from Colorado with a massive road win against one of their direct rivals for playoff positioning, clinching a 93-89 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Friday night. The Lakers have been poor away from home this season, and are now 3-8 on the road following this win.
Kobe Bryant was not at his best, shooting 7-23 of the floor as he scored 20 points, but the Lakers rode their defense, along with an efficient shooting night from Andrew Bynum and a surprising performance by Andrew Goudelock to victory. Paul Gasol only scored 13 points, but shot 5-10 from the field and grabbed 17 boards.
Though Bynum had an excellent game statistically, he made mistakes down the stretch that let the Nuggets back into the game. With the Lakers up by four points, Bynum lost Nene coming out of a timeout and allowed him to score a layup on an inbound play, bringing the Nuggets back within one possession. On the Lakers' next possession, Bynum missed a dunk, then touched the ball out of bounds to give the Nuggets a chance to win or tie the game with their final possession.
Whatever George Karl drew up for that final possession, his team wasn't able to execute it. They ended up settling for an Al Harrington stepback three-point shot, which unsurprisingly missed. Matt Barnes grabbed the defensive rebound and was fouled, then hit both of his free throws to ice the game.
For more on the Lakers, be sure to check out Silver Screen and Roll. The best Nuggets blog on the web can be found at Denver Stiffs. For all things basketball, check out SB Nation's NBA page.
Feb 04 1:27a by Kevin McCauley - 0 comments