The Denver Nuggets played well in their back-to-back-to-back stretch. The
Sacramento Kings are hoping things start looking up after a rough start to
theirs.

The Nuggets will try to keep their perfect home record intact when they face
the Kings on Wednesday night.

Denver (4-2) opened a stretch of three games in three nights with a 92-89
road loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday, but bounced back with a 99-90
win over the Lakers the following night before recording a 91-86 victory over
Milwaukee on Monday.

The Nuggets, playing without starting forward Nene (bruised heel), showed
signs of fatigue, shooting 39.8 percent while committing 16 turnovers, but
outscored the Bucks 23-12 in the fourth quarter.

Danilo Gallinari finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds while Ty Lawson had
16 points and six assists.

“They didn’t look like they had three games in three nights,” Milwaukee’s
Stephen Jackson said. “That says a lot about how good of shape they’re in, and
they didn’t have Nene, so you’ve got to credit them for that.”

The win was Denver’s third in as many home games this season. They shut down
the Bucks in the fourth quarter after holding the Lakers to 19 points in the
final period on Sunday. Those teams shot a combined 40.9 percent and were 9 of
42 (21.4 percent) from 3-point range.

“In the fourth quarter it’s very easy to find extra energy,” Gallinari said
of feeding off the crowd. “You have a tight game, you want to win, especially at
home.”

Gallinari has elevated his play of late, collecting 41 points, 14 rebounds
and five steals in the last two games. He had 34 points and 14 boards in his
three previous contests.

The Nuggets may need another big game from him if Nene is sidelined again
Wednesday, although Al Harrington has been playing effectively off the bench. He
had 17 points and eight boards Monday and is averaging 15.7 points and 6.5
rebounds.

Like Denver, Sacramento (2-4) began its back-to-back-to-back series with a
113-96 loss to Memphis on Tuesday, but it could have a tougher time bouncing
back.

The Kings were outscored 31-17 in the first quarter, shooting 5 of 20.
Rookie Jimmer Fredette scored a season-high 17 points, shooting 4 of 6 from
3-point range, while J.J. Hickson contributed 12 points and 10 rebounds.

DeMarcus Cousins came off the bench and had four points and eight rebounds
in 22 minutes. Cousins was told on Sunday to stay away from the team by coach
Paul Westphal after demanding a trade.

“I wouldn’t say it’s resolved,” Westphal said before the game. “We will see
how it plays out. I think DeMarcus has to continue to show maturity and a desire
to go the same direction as his teammates. We’re all hoping that happens.”

Cousins is third on the team with 11.2 points per game and adds 10.6
rebounds.

Sacramento will close this three-game stretch Thursday against Milwaukee.
The Kings starters should be rested after Westphal pulled most of them early
Tuesday. No starter played more than 27 minutes.

The Kings have lost four of five overall against the Nuggets and five
straight in Denver since a 118-115 win on April 5, 2008.

Kobe Bryant reached another career milestone in a mostly forgettable performance by the Los Angeles Lakers star. Danilo Gallinari scored 20 points, Ty Lawson had 17 points and 10 assists and the Denver Nuggets beat the Lakers 99-90 on Sunday night. The Nuggets scored the final 11 points and avenged a three-point loss to the Lakers in Los Angeles less than 24 hours earlier. Bryant scored 16 points to become the sixth player in NBA history to score 28,000 career points. He is first among active players and is 584 points behind former teammate Shaquille O’Neal. Reaching the benchmark came on a night when Bryant was 6 of 28 from the field and 1 of 8 from 3-point range. “We were trying to be aggressive on him and trying to make him take some bad shots,” said Gallinari, who spent much of the game defending Bryant. “When you play defense against him he can make some tough shots. But we did a pretty good job.” Bryant came into Sunday needing just four points short of 28,000 but he didn’t get it until he hit a free throw with 10:43 left in the third quarter. He had a rough start to the night and it never got better. Bryant missed his first five shots and committed two offensive fouls before sitting in the final minute of the first quarter. He returned midway through the second, hit a 3-pointer but missed his next four. “We’ve got tough defenders,” Lawson said. “Kobe’s a great player, he probably had an off-night tonight, but, still, we played great defense.” “He looked tired. I’m glad we were putting pressure on him and making him take tough shots,” he said. After a seesaw battle for most of the final period, the Nuggets closed strong to win it. Gallinari had two fast-break layups to give Denver a two-point lead with 2:07 left. After Pau Gasol missed a short turnaround jumper, Lawson’s layup gave the Nuggets a 94-90 lead with 1:20 left. “It was big,” Lawson said. “Getting easy layups, making free throws and getting stops. We needed that, especially after the last game.” The Lakers could have used a strong night from Bryant to complement the play of the Lakers’ post players. Gasol had 20 points and 11 rebounds and Andrew Bynum had 18 points and 16 rebounds, but it wasn’t enough against Denver. “I think fatigue had a lot to do with this loss because we weren’t playing very smart,” Bynum said. Bryant missed a 3-pointer from the top of the circle near the end and Al Harrington hit a 12-foot jumper to make it 96-90 with 49 seconds left. The Lakers took a 90-88 lead on Bryant’s layup with 2:47 left and didn’t score again. “He’s got to continue to find his stroke,” Lakers coach Mike Brown said of Bryant. “I told the entire team that we shot too many jump shots. We’ve got to drive the ball or get the ball inside, one of the two. We didn’t do a good job with either today.” The Nuggets held a 26-5 edge in fast-break points. “I feel they have size at every position on the court and I feel we have speed at every position on the court,” Nuggets coach George Karl said. “The only way I know to incorporate it into a strategy is try to play fast and quick.” Trailing by 11 at halftime, the Lakers came out strong in the third quarter. Bynum scored seven points in the first four minutes, including a three-point play that tied it at 50. Denver didn’t hit its first field goal of the second half until Lawson’s drive gave the Nuggets the lead back with 7:03 left. Gallinari followed with Denver’s first 3-pointer of the game to make it 55-50. NOTES: Denver was 2 for 18 from 3-point range. … The Lakers have played six games in the first eight days of the season, including three in three nights to open the schedule. … Lawson has scored in double figures in four of Denver’s first five games. … Denver came into Sunday second in scoring in the NBA but 24th in 3-point shooting.

Danilo Gallinari scored 20 points, Ty Lawson had 17 points and
10 assists and the Denver Nuggets beat the Los Angeles Lakers 99-90
on Sunday night.

Nene had 13 points for the Nuggets, who avenged a three-point
loss to the Lakers in Los Angeles less than 24 hours earlier.

Pau Gasol had 20 points and 11 rebounds and Andrew Bynum had 18
points and 16 rebounds for the Lakers. Kobe Bryant scored 16 points
on 6-of-28 shooting.

After a seesaw battle for most of the final period, the Nuggets
scored the final 11 points to pull out the win.

Gallinari scored two fast-break layups to give Denver a
two-point lead with 2:07 left. After Gasol missed a short
turnaround jumper, Lawson’s layup gave the Nuggets a 94-90 lead
with 1:20 left.

Bryant missed a 3-pointer from the top of the circle and
Harrington hit a 12-foot jumper to make it 96-90 with 49 seconds
left.

The Lakers took a 90-88 lead on Bryant’s layup with 2:47 left
and didn’t score again.

Trailing by 11 at halftime, the Lakers came out strong in the
third quarter. Bynum scored seven points in the first four minutes,
including a three-point play that tied it at 50-all.

Denver didn’t hit its first field goal of the second half until
Lawson’s drive gave the Nuggets the lead back with 7:03 left.
Gallinari followed with Denver’s first 3-pointer of the game to
make it 55-50.

Denver’s lead grew to nine late in the third before the Lakers
made another run to pull to 72-71 heading into the fourth.

Bryant missed his first five shots and committed two offensive
fouls before sitting in the final minute of the first quarter. He
returned midway through the second, hit a 3-pointer but missed his
next four.

The Lakers team didn’t fare any better. Los Angeles missed its
last 11 shots of the first half and shot just 32 percent at the
break.

The Nuggets struggled from the field, too, missing all nine of
their 3-point shots before the break, but they surged at the end of
the second quarter. Leading 39-36, Al Harrington hit four free
throws and had a nice interior pass to set up a dunk by Chris
Andersen that helped Denver take a 47-36 lead at halftime.

NOTES: Denver was 2 for 18 from 3-point range. … The Lakers
have played six games in the first eight days of the season,
including three in three nights to open the schedule. … Lawson
has scored in double figures in four of Denver’s first five games.
… Denver came into Sunday second in scoring in the NBA but 24th
in 3-point shooting.

(AP) — Andrew Bynum had a stellar season debut in leading the Los Angeles Lakers to a victory over the Denver Nuggets in the opener of a home-and-home set.

He knows building on that performance won’t be easy with the series shifting to Denver.

After closing out 2011 with three straight victories, the Lakers look to ring in the new year with a sweep of the Nuggets on Sunday night.

Bynum was a spectator for Los Angeles’ first four games while serving a suspension for a flagrant foul against Dallas’ J.J. Barea in Game 4 of last season’s Western Conference semifinals. The 7-foot center returned to action Saturday against Denver and made an immediate impact, finishing with 29 points on 13 for 18 shooting and 13 rebounds in a 92-89 victory for the Lakers (3-2).

“They were looking for me a lot. I was a focal point early in the offense, so I knew the quicker I got down the court, the better it was,” said Bynum, who made four of his first five shots and finished the first quarter with 10 points. “I just wanted to come out and be aggressive. I wanted to get it down low, and when I got it, I made shots.”

Bynum also blocked two shots and the Nuggets, who were outrebounded 50-36, had no answer for slowing him down.

“His power around the basket – we haven’t seen it yet,” Denver coach George Karl said. “We’ll have to make some adjustments on him – there’s no question. They hurt us rebounding the ball and they hurt us with Bynum’s power underneath the basket.”

Although Denver was overpowered by Bynum, simply facing the Lakers at the Pepsi Center on New Year’s Day could work in its favor. The Nuggets have won four of five meetings in Denver, and because Bynum’s conditioning is not yet up to speed, the short turnaround and drastic change in elevation could impede his game

“I was winded like crazy. First game… I couldn’t breathe in the first six minutes,” Bynum said. “It’s only going to be a little bit worse (Sunday) because of the altitude.”

Despite Bynum’s big game on Saturday, victory was still well within reach for the Nuggets (2-2).

The Lakers missed 22 of 24 shots from 3-point range, and Kobe Bryant was plagued by foul trouble and finished with a season-low 17 points. He averaged 27.8 points in the first four games despite playing with a torn ligament in his right wrist. The 13-time All-Star, however, did contribute Saturday with nine assists and 10 rebounds and scored seven of his points in the fourth quarter.

Denver also had several chances late to pull it out, but couldn’t make a shot. Up 89-84 with 3:40 to play, the Nuggets missed their final seven field goal attempts and all three free throws. Danilo Gallinari blew an easy fast-break layup, Nene missed a dunk and Bynum and Paul Gasol each blocked layups.

Reserve forward Al Harrington led the Nuggets with 21 points on Saturday, while Ty Lawson, who averaged 22.3 points in the first three games, was held to nine.

“We get three layups and a couple of free throws in the last three minutes, and we miss all of them,” Karl said. “Our offensive confidence is a little short right now. We’re not making shots and we kind of have to build our confidence to get the momentum going the right way.”

(Reuters) – Center Andrew Bynum scored 29 points in his first game of the season after serving a suspension as the Los Angeles Lakers came from behind to beat the Denver Nuggets 92-89 Saturday.

Bynum’s layup sent the Lakers ahead 91-89 with 1:52 to play as they powered past Denver’s five-point fourth-quarter lead.

He had been suspended for the first four games of the shortened NBA season because of a flagrant foul against Dallas in the Western Conference playoffs last season.

Bynum had been originally suspended for five games but that was reduced because of the shortened schedule.

The big man also had 13 rebounds and two blocked shots as new coach Mike Brown’s coaching style suited his play.

“They’re looking for me a lot and I’m a focal point early in the offense,” Bynum told reporters.

But he paid a price in the early going, he said.

“I was winded like crazy today,” the out-of-shape Bynum said. “First game … I couldn’t breathe in the first six minutes.”

But even if he was winded, his domination inside was too much for the Nuggets to handle.

“His power around the basket, we haven’t seen it yet,” Denver coach George Karl told reporters. “We’ll have to make some adjustments on him, there’s no question.”

Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol each added 17 points for the Lakers, who had started the season 0-2 but have now won three successive games.

Al Harrington led the Nuggets with 21 points.

The Nuggets had an 85-80 lead after Harrington’s three-pointer with five minutes to play.

But the Lakers pulled even at 89-89 on Bryant’s two free throws after Derek Fisher’s hustle to save the ball after missing a three-pointer.

Then Bynum blocked Nene Hilario’s layup attempt and got the go-ahead basket.

Meanwhile, Denver was drawing blanks.

“We get three layups and a couple free throws in the last three minutes of the game and we miss all of them,” Karl said.

“We gave them too much hope, from Bynum and that loose ball from Fisher, and we never got that defensive confidence because we didn’t rebound the ball.”

(Reporting By Gene Cherry in Salvo North Carolina; Editing by Greg Stutchbury)