Nuggets at Lakers
THE STORY: The Los Angeles Lakers are making an improbable run at the No. 1 spot in the Western Conference. The Denver Nuggets are on the verge of clinching an improbable berth in the playoffs. Seemingly content to waste away the regular season through the All-Star break, the Lakers have turned it on a little early this season and are blitzing toward the finish. The Nuggets were expected to fold without Carmelo Anthony but have instead thrived, pushing their way up the west ladder. Los Angeles will be looking to snap Denver’s five game-winning streak and push its own to an even 10 when the teams meet at the Pepsi Center on Sunday.
TV: 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC
ABOUT THE LAKERS (55-20): Los Angeles was 38-19, nine games behind the San Antonio Spurs, after a loss to the NBA-worst Cleveland Cavaliers on Feb. 16. The Lakers’ season has taken a sharp turn up since then, as they have gone 17-1 since the All-Star break and are now only 1 1/2 games behind the Spurs (57-19) with seven left to play. Kobe Bryant has improved his play while the frontcourt of Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom has come together as one of the most dominant units in the NBA. Los Angeles pushed its most recent winning streak to nine games on Friday with a 96-85 triumph at Utah, overcoming a 17-point deficit in the first half. Bryant led with 21 points while Gasol chipped in 16 points and nine rebounds and Odom shook off the flu to collect 16 and seven.
ABOUT THE NUGGETS (46-29): Denver was teetering on the edge of the playoff picture in the West when they sent Carmelo Anthony over to the New York Knicks. Instead of folding, the Nuggets have flourished with a more balanced offensive attack, going 14-4 since the trade. The surge has them comfortably in the No. 5 spot in the West, 2 1/2 games ahead of the Portland Trail Blazers (44-32), and on the verge of clinching a playoff berth. Denver picked up its fifth straight win, 99-90, at Sacramento on Friday night as Raymond Felton scored 14 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter. Nene added 12 points, 12 rebounds and six assists for the Nuggets, who had eight players score at least eight points.
WHO’S HOT/WHO’S NOT: Bryant is averaging an even 30 points over the last six games for the Lakers. Nene has reached double figures in rebounds three times in the last four games for the Nuggets while Felton’s two assists Friday matched a season low.
KEY STATISTIC: 111.0 vs. 111.8. Both Los Angeles and Denver have offenses running in high gear at the moment, with the Lakers putting up 111.8 points over the last five games and the Nuggets coming in just below that mark at 111.0.
SEASON SERIES: The teams have split two meetings this season, with the Nuggets earning a 118-112 home victory on Nov. 11 and the Lakers returning the favor on Jan. 21, 107-97, also in Denver. Los Angeles won by pounding it inside, as Gasol, Bynum, Odom and Ron Artest combining for 73 points and 32 rebounds.
KEY INJURIES: DENVER: C Melvin Ely (personal); F Al Harrington (Achilles): G Arron Afflalo (hamstring); F Chris Anderson (ankle). LOS ANGELES: F Devin Ebanks (leg).
LAST WORD: “It’s fun being around guys that don’t have worries about who is going to play and when they are going to play,” Denver coach George Karl said about his deep rotation. “I think we can do that for 25 games with basically 10-11 guys that deserve to play. There’s a lot of guys to give minutes.”