Nuggets at Lakers
The Denver Nuggets are out of the Western Conference playoff race but
they are looking to build momentum for the future. Denver aims to record
a second consecutive victory when it visits another team well out of
the playoff race in the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday.
The Nuggets were on the verge of losing to the lowly Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday before rookie point guard Emmanuel Mudiay drained a game-winning 35-foot shot at the buzzer for a 104-103 victory. "Honestly, I just want to win as many games as we can this year, whether we don't make the playoffs or not," Mudiay told reporters. "We are trying to change the culture because it's been down for about two years now. But my whole thing is to make it to the playoffs and one day win some championships." The Lakers dropped a 119-107 decision to the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday for their fifth loss in six games. Retiring Kobe Bryant averaged 18.5 points in the past two games while playing through shoulder pain and is expected to play against the Nuggets.
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, Altitude (Denver), TWC SportsNet (Los Angeles)
ABOUT THE NUGGETS (30-42): Mudiay's off-balance heave saved Denver on Wednesday and it was part of a solid effort that included 27 points and a season-high 11 rebounds. "I couldn't be happier for him, I couldn't be happier for our guys," Nuggets coach Michael Malone told reporters. "This is only going to breed confidence for those guys, knowing they have been out here in game-tying, game-winning situations. We cannot replicate that in practice, on the floor, or in a film session." Mudiay is enjoying a solid month with five 20-point outings and a 17.5 average in 12 games.
ABOUT THE LAKERS (15-56): The shin injury that rookie point guard D'Angelo Russell suffered on Tuesday turned out to be minor and he played against the Suns but struggled to 14 points on 6-of-18 shooting. In fact, Russell has struggled since his stretch of seven 20-point outings in eight games, averaging 10.4 points on 33.3 percent shooting over the last five contests. Young power forward Julius Randle is averaging 16 points and 14.5 rebounds over the past two games and has been in double digits on the boards in seven of 11 games this month.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Nuggets have won two of this season's three meetings and have held Bryant to an average of 15.7 points.
2. Los Angeles backup SG Lou Williams is just 6-of-17 shooting over the past two games.
3. Denver PF Kenneth Faried (back) will likely miss his fifth straight game.