The Denver Nuggets reminded the Los Angeles Lakers that the road to a back-to-back is not a walk in the park.
In their last meeting in Denver, the Nuggets shut down Kobe Bryant, outplayed the champs, and made the Lakers play sloppy. The end result? A 105-79 shellacking of the Lakers.
A lot of things didn't work out for the Lakers. The Lakers reserves only got a total 16 points. J.R. Smith of the Nuggets came off the bench and netted 20 points of his own. Heck, seldom-used Nuggets rookie Ty Lawson scored 13 points! The Lakers shot bricks as a team (35%), plus a dismal 28% from the 3-point range.
Kobe Bryant was rendered ineffective against a very motivated Denver team. After scoring in bunches in the first half, Kobe was help to zero points in the second. Andrew Bynum had challengers in Nene and Kenyon Martin. Clearly, the Lakers were outpaced by the Nuggets in this game.
Are the Nuggets contenders in the NBA's Western Conference? With the way they played, they sure look legit. And if you ask me, they are in a better position than the Phoenix Suns to challenge the Lakers.
Technorati: Los Angeles Lakers
