Nuggets at Lakers
THE STORY: The Los Angeles Lakers will finally have a full complement of players as they look to surpass the .500 mark for the first time Saturday afternoon against the visiting Denver Nuggets. Seven-foot center Andrew Bynum will make his season debut after serving a four-game suspension for ramming Dallas guard J.J. Barea in last year's Western Conference playoffs. Bynum will provide some major frontcourt skill for a team that looked overmatched against Chicago and Sacramento before prevailing against Utah and New York. Kobe Bryant has continued his role as the club's most consistent scorer despite dealing with a torn ligament in his wrist. He has scored between 26 and 29 points in all four games. The Nuggets come in having lost their first game of the season on Thursday, a 111-102 defeat at the hands of the Portland Trail Blazers. Poor outside shooting proved to be costly for the Nuggets, who convered just four of 20 attempts from 3-point range.
TV: 3:30 p.m. ET, Altitude, Fox Sports West
ABOUT THE NUGGETS (2-1): Denver may have a superstar in the making in point guard Ty Lawson, who has been far and away the club's best player through the first three games. The 2009 first-round pick is shooting a blistering 61.9 percent from the floor while averaging 22.3 points and four steals. He single-handedly kept Denver in the game against Portland, pouring in a game-high 25 points while recording a career-best eight thefts.
ABOUT THE LAKERS (2-2): Uncharacteristically strong defense keyed the Lakers' victories over the Jazz and Knicks. Los Angeles held both teams to fewer than 83 points, and they shot below 32 percent collectively against the Lakers. A home-and-home against the Nuggets will put L.A.'s new defensive commitment to the test, with the Nuggets shooting a blistering 47.6 percent from the floor so far - good for fifth in the league.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. Denver won two of three meetings between the clubs last season.
2. Bryant averages 25.5 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.2 assists in 53 games against Denver.
3. Bynum's scoring average fell last season from 15 to 11.3 - largely due to taking three fewer shots per game - but his rebounds (9.4) and blocks (two) both climbed.