Denver Nuggets exact revenge; pull away late to beat Los Angeles Lakers 99-90: NBA Recap
The Denver Nuggets recorded a good win over the Los Angeles Lakers to begin their new year on a good note. The Nuggets had lost out to Los Angeles in their last game of 2011 so the 99 – 90 win at the Pepsi Center had an air of
revenge about it.
The game twisted and turned a few times but Denver did well to hold their nerves and came out strong in the final quarter to seal the win. Danilo Gallinari was the top player for the Nuggets with a team high 20 points but there
were another 5 players in double figures, a testament to Denver’s strength in depth. Ty Lawson was particularly impressive with a double-double at 17 points and 10 assists.
Denver head coach George Karl made full use of Denver’s reserves and their versatility in face of Los Angeles’s more established approach.
"Why would we want to play five-on-five basketball against the Lakers? I feel they have size at every position on the court and I feel we have speed at every position on the court. The only way I know to incorporate it into a strategy
is try to play fast and quick."
His cause was no doubt helped by the poor performance by Lakers talisman Kobe Bryant. The Los Angeles super star had a poor night out with his 16 points coming off a terrible 6-of-28 from the field. His struggles contributed to
Denver’s success but Lawson knew Kobe would be back to his best the next time they meet.
"Kobe's a great player, he probably had an off night tonight, but, still, we played great defence. He looked tired. I'm glad we were putting pressure on him and making him take tough shots."
With Bryant out of sorts, star forward Pau Gasol took up the scoring mantle and topped with 20 points. 11 rebounds helped him complete a double-double while returning centre Andrew Bynum also had a double-double with 16 rebounds
and 16 points.
The game got off to a pretty routine start and Los Angeles were threatening to dominate when up 16 – 11 with 5:33 left on the clock. A 9 – 0 run by Denver though turned the equation upside down and it was them at the helm when
the quarter ended 26 – 21.
The Lakers clawed back at the Nuggets in the second period and were within 3 points near the interval. Denver though finished with a flurry, going 8 – 0 to take a double-digit lead into the break.
Los Angeles thus had a lot of work to do when they the game restarted and they went about their job in a determined fashion. With just 2 minutes played, Gasol sparked an 11 – 0 run that levelled scores at 50 apiece. An 8 – 2 burst
by Denver gave them some breathing space again but they were soon chased down by Los Angeles. An exciting quarter finished 72 – 71 to Los Angeles.
Los Angeles actually went on to take the lead in the final period and looked set for another win over Denver. The Nuggets though made a furious rally to end the game, going 11 – 0 and sealing the game in the process.
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