Nuggets coach George Karl talks to reporters in Denver on Monday. (Helen Richardson, The Denver Post)

Denver coach George Karl said Monday afternoon that the Nuggets can take away some positives from their playoff loss to the Lakers — but some things are still lingering.

“Even in the Game 7 loss, to fight back the way we fought back, all those things can be used in a positive way,” Karl said, speaking to the media for the first time since Game 7. “But there’s also the negative that we didn’t get the job done. That’s still lingering and hanging over our heads right now.”

Last season, Denver lost to Oklahoma City last season in five games, but this season, the Nuggets won Games 5 and 6 against the Lakers, before losing in the close Game 7 on the road.

Yes, L.A. proved to be the better team. But the Nuggets remain

confident that their young team has made strides.

“There is a growth process that definitely went on in the last two months of the season,” said Karl, whose team won numerous key games in April to solidify a playoff spot.

“It was very obvious that the guys had a great energy early on, we kind of stumbled around for six weeks and then regrouped.”

Now looking back, Karl was asked how his team regrouped so well.

“Managing, perseverance, coaching, toughness, players staying committed, team-ness. The fun of sport is when you fight together and figure things out. I think that happened in a lot of ways. As an organization and staff, you’re excited because you don’t think there will be many changes. Though you never know in the NBA, there might be that phone call.”

As for the second round Lakers-Thunder series, Karl said, “If the Lakers play like they played in Game 7, they can beat Oklahoma City. A lot of teams struggle early and finish strong.”

Almost happened. The Spanish low-post player was right behind Kenneth Faried on the draft list, with Portland choosing at No. 21 in last June’s draft. Surely, Portland was going to take Faried. After all, the Trail Blazers had seriously inquired about the Morehead State forward. But Portland chose Nolan Smith from Duke, so the Nuggets immediately called in their pick.

Mirotic, who turned 21 in February, went 23rd to Houston and didn’t play in the NBA this past season.

Meanwhile, Faried blossomed for the Nuggets and helped them reach Game 7 of the Western Conference opening-round series against the Lakers. Without Faried’s contributions at power forward, the Nuggets likely would have been eliminated.

Coaches and fans alike have watched Faried grow in this postseason, and it has nothing to do with his scoring or rebounding.

“They’re beating up Kenneth Faried (in this series), and it’s making us tougher,” Nuggets coach George Karl said before the Game 7 tipoff. “We’re seeing that kid stand up to all their cheap shots. Kenneth Faried just gets right back up and stands up and is stronger and stronger. You can see it make Timo (Mozgov) and JaVale (McGee) and our veteran guys want to fight for him and with him. It’s something that I don’t remember a rookie having that influence in a long time on the toughness and energy of the game.”

First things first

Nuggets point guard Ty Lawson followed up his terrific Game 6 performance with a strong first half Saturday night. He scored a game-high nine points in the first half, and had two assists. Heading into Game 7, Lawson had played his three best first quarters in the Nuggets’ three series wins. This is a positive trend for the future, as Karl routinely tells Lawson to make an immediate impact on the game with aggressiveness.

In the Game 3 win, Lawson had 13 points and two assists. In Game 5, at Staples Center, Lawson scored just two first-quarter points but tallied four first-quarter assists, his most first-quarter assists in any game. In Game 6, Lawson had 15 points and two assists in the first half.

It was probably the best day in the history of the Nuggets.

“And it was probably the worst day of my life I can remember, other than my dad dying,” said current Nuggets coach George Karl, who coached Seattle back then. “Losing that game on your home court, and being the first No. 1 seed ever (to lose), that’s pretty powerful.”

The indelible image of Dikembe Mutombo still haunts Karl, all these years later. There’s one thing that can help erase that memory. A Nuggets’ victory over the Lakers tonight in Game 7 of their first-round playoff series, which, if it happens, would cap one of the great playoff comebacks in franchise history.

“Maybe I can put another one up on the board that rocks history again,” Karl said Friday.

He hopes to mirror the ’94 win tonight, on his 61st birthday, by winning only the third Game 7 in Nuggets’ history. The sixth-seeded Nuggets trailed 3-1 before stunning the Lakers with a Game 5 victory at Staples Center, followed by a sledgehammer to the forehead win in Game 6 at Pepsi Center.

“Game 7 is going to be fun, I’m nervous already,” Karl said. “I’m turning 61 years old and I haven’t been nervous this early in a long time.”

History suggests the Nuggets have little shot. Only eight teams have ever ralliedfrom a 3-1 deficit, most recently the Suns defeating the Lakers in 2006.

And that Lakers loss was Kobe Bryant’s sole Game 7 loss. He’s 4-1 in Game 7s.

The Lakers have the experience, not only with Bryant, but also with big men Andrew Bynum, Pau Gasol and Metta World Peace, making his first appearance of the series after coming off suspensions.

The Nuggets, though, have all the momentum.

After Denver won Game 6, the question was raised in the locker room if any Nuggets had ever played in a Game 7 (the answer is no), to which someone shouted, “Most of the Nuggets haven’t even been in the playoffs!”

But, after Bynum suggested that closeout games are actually kind of “easy” before Game 5, it was the Nuggets who began asserting their advantage in speed, energy and depth.

“We’re confident, the way we’ve been playing, we feel we can go there and get us one,” said Denver forward Al Harrington, a veteran team leader. “We had a lot of ups and downs this season, but this team has been very resilient. And that definitely helped us build the character that we’re showing.”

While the Lakers are wondering what has hit them, with both Bryant and head coach Mike Brown calling out Bynum and Gasol after the Game 6 loss, the Nuggets seem to grow in confidence by the day. The Nuggets are the youngest team in the Western Conference playoffs Karl said his team is embodying the “teamness” he preaches as key to winning.

“I think there’s more of that on this team than we’ve seen in a long time,” he said of his team’s unselfishness. “There’s no question that with the ego of basketball, there’s more laughter about it than serious debate of who should have a piece of the spotlight. I don’t know how long it will last but I hope it lasts a long time. I still think that in these moments, the more focus you have on being a team, the more success you’re going to have.”

Nuggets 113, Lakers 96

L.A. LAKERS (96)

Ebanks 4-9 2-2 10, Gasol 1-10 1-2 3, Bynum 4-11 3-5 11, Sessions 4-9 6-8 14, Bryant 13-23 4-4 31, Barnes 2-8 1-2 6, Hill 3-6 2-2 8, Blake 1-3 0-0 3, Eyenga 1-2 0-1 2, Murphy 1-1 0-0 3, Morris 1-1 3-4 5, McRoberts 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 35-83 22-30 96.

DENVER (113)

Gallinari 5-13 0-0 12, Faried 6-11 3-3 15, Mozgov 3-5 2-4 8, Lawson 13-18 1-3 32, Afflalo 3-5 0-0 6, McGee 1-5 0-0 2, Harrington 1-8 2-6 4, Miller 5-10 1-1 12, Brewer 8-12 0-0 18, Hamilton 1-2 0-0 2, Stone 1-2 0-0 2, Koufos 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 47-91 9-17 113.

L.A. Lakers 20 25 23 28 — 96

Denver 30 24 36 23 — 113

3-Point Goals — L.A. Lakers 4-14 (Murphy 1-1, Blake 1-2, Barnes 1-4, Bryant 1-4, Sessions 0-1, Ebanks 0-2), Denver 10-20 (Lawson 5-6, Brewer 2-3, Gallinari 2-6, Miller 1-1, Afflalo 0-1, Harrington 0-3). Fouled Out — None. Rebounds — L.A. Lakers 51 (Bynum 16), Denver 57 (Faried 11). Assists — L.A. Lakers 23 (Bryant, Blake 4), Denver 26 (Afflalo, Gallinari 7). Total Fouls — L.A. Lakers 17, Denver 22. Technicals — L.A. Lakers defensive three second. Flagrant Fouls — Bryant. A — 19,770 (19,155).

DENVER (AP) – JaVale McGee‘s rim-rattling, backboard-shaking dunks left the crowd roaring, his teammates applauding and the opposition fuming.

They weren’t just for show, however.

McGee scored 17 points, throwing down a half-dozen dunks in the second half, and the Denver Nuggets pulled away to beat the Orlando Magic 101-74 on Sunday night.

It was the sixth win in eight games for the surging Nuggets, who clinched their ninth consecutive trip to the playoffs the night before with a win at Phoenix.

“I feel like we’re getting better every game and we’re becoming a solid team to where we can play people who don’t play so we can give our people a rest for the next game,” said McGee, who came off the bench to become the 10th different Nuggets player to lead or share the team lead in scoring.

Danilo Gallinari also scored 17, Arron Afflalo had 15 and Ty Lawson 13 for the Nuggets, who swept the two-game season series with Orlando, avoiding the Magic’s injured Dwight Howard both times.

“We didn’t do our defensive assignments,” the Magic’s Jason Richardson said after Orlando was beaten repeatedly on lob passes inside to McGee and Denver’s other big men. “We didn’t have energy. We didn’t do anything how we’ve been playing the past five or six games.”

Ryan Anderson scored 24 points for the Magic, who lost their third straight. Glen Davis added 14 points for playoff-bound Orlando, which also lost guard Jameer Nelson to a calf injury. He left the game in the first quarter and did not return.

Howard, who missed Orlando’s April 1 loss to Denver because of back spasms, is out for the rest of the season after undergoing surgery last week to repair a herniated disk in his lower back.

Breaking away from a halftime tie, the Nuggets had a 67-58 advantage when Andre Miller capped a 6-0 burst with a 17-foot jumper with 2:30 left in the third.

Denver took a 73-62 lead into the fourth quarter – its biggest lead to that point – after consecutive dunks in the last minute of the third by McGee off alley-oop passes from Miller.

Orlando fought back within 75-69 on Ish Smith’s driving layup with 9:22 left, but the Nuggets got their inside game going again. Kenneth Faried and McGee took turns muscling in dunks to go up 79-69 with 8:17 remaining.

“Some of those dunks were pretty important,” Nuggets coach George Karl said. “The game was not over when he made a couple of those dunks against the zone.”

Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy was fuming over the lackluster defensive play inside by the Magic, dismissing the possibility of fatigue because of a back-to-back set.

“I don’t think it had anything to do with running out of gas,” Van Gundy said. “Four times a guy’s going to start up to set a pick and back cut for a lob? It’s absurd. We ran out of focus, we ran out of competitiveness. That’s what we ran out of.”

McGee jammed home a couple more dunks as the Nuggets moved to a 93-74 lead with 3:10 left to play. Orlando was held to 30 second-half points, 12 in the final quarter.

“It was a lot of fun,” said McGee, who also had eight rebounds and three blocked shots. “We passed the ball and we were playing great defense. Things were just getting open for us.”

Lawson’s driving layup with 50 seconds left in the second quarter forged a 44-all tie at halftime. Denver was leading 24-19 after the first period, but Orlando put together a 12-2 run to go in front 35-31. Anderson hit two 3-pointers during the surge.

NOTES: Nuggets forward Al Harrington, one of the league’s top sixth men who has been playing through a torn meniscus in his right knee, was given the night off. It’s the first time he’s missed a game this season. Karl said in a pregame news conference that Harrington probably will play in only one of the team’s two remaining regular-season games to try to get him in the best possible shape for the playoffs. … The Magic, who lost in overtime at Utah on Saturday, were 18-18 in back-to-back sets this season. … Miller finished with 11 assists. … The season series sweep of Orlando by the Nuggets was Denver’s first since the 1991-92 season. … The Magic’s point total represented a season low by a Nuggets’ opponent.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

DENVER (AP) – JaVale McGee‘s rim-rattling, backboard-shaking dunks left the crowd roaring, his teammates applauding and the opposition fuming.

They weren’t just for show, however.

McGee scored 17 points, throwing down a half-dozen dunks in the second half, and the Denver Nuggets pulled away to beat the Orlando Magic 101-74 on Sunday night.

It was the sixth win in eight games for the surging Nuggets, who clinched their ninth consecutive trip to the playoffs the night before with a win at Phoenix.

“I feel like we’re getting better every game and we’re becoming a solid team to where we can play people who don’t play so we can give our people a rest for the next game,” said McGee, who came off the bench to become the 10th different Nuggets player to lead or share the team lead in scoring.

Danilo Gallinari also scored 17, Arron Afflalo had 15 and Ty Lawson 13 for the Nuggets, who swept the two-game season series with Orlando, avoiding the Magic’s injured Dwight Howard both times.

“We didn’t do our defensive assignments,” the Magic’s Jason Richardson said after Orlando was beaten repeatedly on lob passes inside to McGee and Denver’s other big men. “We didn’t have energy. We didn’t do anything how we’ve been playing the past five or six games.”

Ryan Anderson scored 24 points for the Magic, who lost their third straight. Glen Davis added 14 points for playoff-bound Orlando, which also lost guard Jameer Nelson to a calf injury. He left the game in the first quarter and did not return.

Howard, who missed Orlando’s April 1 loss to Denver because of back spasms, is out for the rest of the season after undergoing surgery last week to repair a herniated disk in his lower back.

Breaking away from a halftime tie, the Nuggets had a 67-58 advantage when Andre Miller capped a 6-0 burst with a 17-foot jumper with 2:30 left in the third.

Denver took a 73-62 lead into the fourth quarter – its biggest lead to that point – after consecutive dunks in the last minute of the third by McGee off alley-oop passes from Miller.

Orlando fought back within 75-69 on Ish Smith’s driving layup with 9:22 left, but the Nuggets got their inside game going again. Kenneth Faried and McGee took turns muscling in dunks to go up 79-69 with 8:17 remaining.

“Some of those dunks were pretty important,” Nuggets coach George Karl said. “The game was not over when he made a couple of those dunks against the zone.”

Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy was fuming over the lackluster defensive play inside by the Magic, dismissing the possibility of fatigue because of a back-to-back set.

“I don’t think it had anything to do with running out of gas,” Van Gundy said. “Four times a guy’s going to start up to set a pick and back cut for a lob? It’s absurd. We ran out of focus, we ran out of competitiveness. That’s what we ran out of.”

McGee jammed home a couple more dunks as the Nuggets moved to a 93-74 lead with 3:10 left to play. Orlando was held to 30 second-half points, 12 in the final quarter.

“It was a lot of fun,” said McGee, who also had eight rebounds and three blocked shots. “We passed the ball and we were playing great defense. Things were just getting open for us.”

Lawson’s driving layup with 50 seconds left in the second quarter forged a 44-all tie at halftime. Denver was leading 24-19 after the first period, but Orlando put together a 12-2 run to go in front 35-31. Anderson hit two 3-pointers during the surge.

NOTES: Nuggets forward Al Harrington, one of the league’s top sixth men who has been playing through a torn meniscus in his right knee, was given the night off. It’s the first time he’s missed a game this season. Karl said in a pregame news conference that Harrington probably will play in only one of the team’s two remaining regular-season games to try to get him in the best possible shape for the playoffs. … The Magic, who lost in overtime at Utah on Saturday, were 18-18 in back-to-back sets this season. … Miller finished with 11 assists. … The season series sweep of Orlando by the Nuggets was Denver’s first since the 1991-92 season. … The Magic’s point total represented a season low by a Nuggets’ opponent.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

JaVale McGee scored 17 points, throwing down a half-dozen dunks in the second half, and the Denver Nuggets pulled away to beat the Orlando Magic 101-74 on Sunday night

Danilo Gallinari also scored 17, Arron Afflalo had 15 and Ty Lawson 13 for the Nuggets, who swept the two-game season series with Orlando, avoiding the Magic’s injured Dwight Howard both times.

Ryan Anderson scored 24 points for the Magic, who lost their third straight. Glen Davis added 14 points for Orlando, which also lost guard Jameer Nelson to a calf injury. He left the game in the first quarter and did not return.

Howard, who missed Orlando’s April 1 loss to Denver because of back spasms, is out for the rest of the season after undergoing surgery last week to repair a herniated disk in his lower back.

Breaking away from a halftime tie, the Nuggets had a 67-58 advantage when Andre Miller capped a 6-0 burst with a 17-foot jumper with 2:30 left in the third.

Denver took a 73-62 lead into the fourth quarter — its biggest lead to that point — after consecutive dunks in the last minute of the third by McGee off alley-oop passes from Miller.

Orlando fought back within 75-69 on Ish Smith’s driving layup with 9:22 left, but the Nuggets got their inside game going again. Kenneth Faried and McGee took turns muscling in dunks to go up 79-69 with 8:17 remaining.

McGee jammed home a couple more dunks as the Nuggets moved to a 93-74 lead with 3:10 left to play.

Lawson’s driving layup with 50 seconds left in the second quarter forged a 44-all tie at halftime. Denver was leading 24-19 after the first period, but Orlando put together a 12-2 run to go in front 35-31. Anderson hit two 3-pointers during the surge.

Game notes
Nuggets forward Al Harrington, one of the league’s top sixth men who has been playing through a torn meniscus in his right knee, was given the night off. It’s the first time he’s missed a game this season. Coach George Karl said in a pregame news conference that Harrington probably will play in only one of the team’s two remaining regular-season games to try to get him in the best possible shape for the playoffs. … The Magic, who lost in overtime at Utah on Saturday, were 18-18 in back-to-back sets this season.

JaVale McGee scored 17 points, throwing down a half-dozen dunks in the second half, and the Denver Nuggets pulled away to beat the Orlando Magic 101-74 on Sunday night

Danilo Gallinari also scored 17, Arron Afflalo had 15 and Ty Lawson 13 for the Nuggets, who swept the two-game season series with Orlando, avoiding the Magic’s injured Dwight Howard both times.

Ryan Anderson scored 24 points for the Magic, who lost their third straight. Glen Davis added 14 points for Orlando, which also lost guard Jameer Nelson to a calf injury. He left the game in the first quarter and did not return.

Howard, who missed Orlando’s April 1 loss to Denver because of back spasms, is out for the rest of the season after undergoing surgery last week to repair a herniated disk in his lower back.

Breaking away from a halftime tie, the Nuggets had a 67-58 advantage when Andre Miller capped a 6-0 burst with a 17-foot jumper with 2:30 left in the third.

Denver took a 73-62 lead into the fourth quarter — its biggest lead to that point — after consecutive dunks in the last minute of the third by McGee off alley-oop passes from Miller.

Orlando fought back within 75-69 on Ish Smith’s driving layup with 9:22 left, but the Nuggets got their inside game going again. Kenneth Faried and McGee took turns muscling in dunks to go up 79-69 with 8:17 remaining.

McGee jammed home a couple more dunks as the Nuggets moved to a 93-74 lead with 3:10 left to play.

Lawson’s driving layup with 50 seconds left in the second quarter forged a 44-all tie at halftime. Denver was leading 24-19 after the first period, but Orlando put together a 12-2 run to go in front 35-31. Anderson hit two 3-pointers during the surge.

Game notes
Nuggets forward Al Harrington, one of the league’s top sixth men who has been playing through a torn meniscus in his right knee, was given the night off. It’s the first time he’s missed a game this season. Coach George Karl said in a pregame news conference that Harrington probably will play in only one of the team’s two remaining regular-season games to try to get him in the best possible shape for the playoffs. … The Magic, who lost in overtime at Utah on Saturday, were 18-18 in back-to-back sets this season.

JaVale McGee scored 17 points, throwing down a half-dozen dunks in the second half, and the Denver Nuggets pulled away to beat the Orlando Magic 101-74 on Sunday night

Danilo Gallinari also scored 17, Arron Afflalo had 15 and Ty Lawson 13 for the Nuggets, who swept the two-game season series with Orlando, avoiding the Magic’s injured Dwight Howard both times.

Ryan Anderson scored 24 points for the Magic, who lost their third straight. Glen Davis added 14 points for Orlando, which also lost guard Jameer Nelson to a calf injury. He left the game in the first quarter and did not return.

Howard, who missed Orlando’s April 1 loss to Denver because of back spasms, is out for the rest of the season after undergoing surgery last week to repair a herniated disk in his lower back.

Breaking away from a halftime tie, the Nuggets had a 67-58 advantage when Andre Miller capped a 6-0 burst with a 17-foot jumper with 2:30 left in the third.

Denver took a 73-62 lead into the fourth quarter — its biggest lead to that point — after consecutive dunks in the last minute of the third by McGee off alley-oop passes from Miller.

Orlando fought back within 75-69 on Ish Smith’s driving layup with 9:22 left, but the Nuggets got their inside game going again. Kenneth Faried and McGee took turns muscling in dunks to go up 79-69 with 8:17 remaining.

McGee jammed home a couple more dunks as the Nuggets moved to a 93-74 lead with 3:10 left to play.

Lawson’s driving layup with 50 seconds left in the second quarter forged a 44-all tie at halftime. Denver was leading 24-19 after the first period, but Orlando put together a 12-2 run to go in front 35-31. Anderson hit two 3-pointers during the surge.

Game notes
Nuggets forward Al Harrington, one of the league’s top sixth men who has been playing through a torn meniscus in his right knee, was given the night off. It’s the first time he’s missed a game this season. Coach George Karl said in a pregame news conference that Harrington probably will play in only one of the team’s two remaining regular-season games to try to get him in the best possible shape for the playoffs. … The Magic, who lost in overtime at Utah on Saturday, were 18-18 in back-to-back sets this season.

PHOENIX (AP) Now that the Denver Nuggets are in the playoffs for the ninth consecutive season, there will be no letting up for the final three games of the regular season.

Coach George Karl wants his young team to gain some momentum, and there’s still a chance to pass Dallas for the No. 6 spot in the Western Conference.

Ty Lawson went 5 of 5 on 3-pointers and had 29 points and 10 assists to lead Denver to the playoff-clinching 118-107 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Saturday.

Denver pulled even with Dallas after the Mavericks lost at Chicago. Dallas, though, has the tiebreaker with the Nuggets.

”We have three games left and we are going to try to win all three of them There won’t be any rest going on here,” Karl said. ”We are not in that mode. We are into getting better and coming together. It is a young team that will have to learn how to win in the playoffs. On the job training, but it has been done before.”

The Suns fell a game behind Utah for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Jazz, playing at home, rallied to beat Orlando in overtime. Phoenix must win at Uah on Tuesday to keep its playoff hopes alive. The Suns own the tiebreaker against the Jazz.

”We got to go into Utah – tough environment, tough atmosphere, tough team – and we got to win,” said the Suns’ Shannon Brown, who scored 28 points, including a career-best 6 3s in 12 attempts. ”That’s basically what it comes down to.”

Steve Nash of the Suns had 13 assists, nine in the first quarter, and passed Oscar Robertson into fifth place on the NBA’s career list. The Suns lost Channing Frye to a shoulder injury in the second quarter.

The Nuggets beat the Suns for the sixth straight time, three this season.

”They’ve got size, they got strength, they got a lot of skill, they can shoot the ball,” Nash said. ”You know, they’ve got a really good team, a really deep team, so they’ve been causing a lot of problems for us and we haven’t been able to beat them.”

Arron Afflalo scored 19 points and Kenneth Faried had 16 for the Nuggets, who had six players finish in double figures, shot 55 percent from the field and had a 26-2 advantage on fastbreak points.

Lawson noted that the Suns, like so many other teams, passed on him in the 2009 draft. Phoenix chose Earl Clark at No. 14. Lawson finally went at No. 18 to Minnesota.

”I mean, that is probably the only added motivation I have,” Lawson said. ”It has nothing against Steve. He is definitely one of my idols so you always want to see how good you are against your idols.”

Marcin Gortat had 18 points and 11 rebounds for Phoenix.

Denver used a third-period outburst to build a 21-point lead. The Suns cut it to 10 in the fourth quarter but could get no closer.

Nash passed Robertson with his fourth assist, on a 3-pointer by Frye just 4:22 into the game. The two-time MVP had assists on five of Phoenix’s first six field goals and finished the first quarter with nine.

After a tight first half, the Nuggets outscored Phoenix 33-14 to start the third quarter, going up 93-72 on Al Harrington’s fastbreak dunk with 2:31 left in the period. The Suns, though, scored the final eight points of the quarter to cut it to 93-80 entering the fourth. The closest the Suns got after that was 105-95 on Brown’s 3 with 4:42 left. Lawson and Andre Miller followed with layups and Phoenix didn’t threaten again.

”We could never get them under control at the start of the third quarter,” Suns coach Alvin Gentry said. ”They got a couple of easy layups and we struggled to slow them down from there.”

Lawson scored 11 points in the third quarter, making 4 of 6 shots, including all three 3-point attempts.

The Nuggets led 60-58 after a first half that saw neither team lead by more than six points. Denver shot 59.5 percent in the first half, led by Lawson’s 7 for 9 for 16 points. The Suns shot 54 percent in the first half, with Gortat going 6 for 9 for 14 points.

Frye sustained a subluxed right shoulder when he went up for a rebound with 4:33 left in the first half. The Suns’ starting power forward, who leads the team with 91 3-pointers, missed nearly two weeks after dislocating the same shoulder late last season.

Notes: Nash, with 9,897 assists, trails only Magic Johnson (10,141), Mark Jackson (10,334), Jason Kidd (11,830 and counting) and John Stockton (15,806). … The Nuggets won the season series 3-0. … The Suns’ Robin Lopez, ejected for a ”flagrant 2” foul in the victory over the Clippers on Thursday, drew a technical from referee Rodney Mott with 6:09 left in the first half.

PHOENIX (AP) Now that the Denver Nuggets are in the playoffs for the ninth consecutive season, there will be no letting up for the final three games of the regular season.

Coach George Karl wants his young team to gain some momentum, and there’s still a chance to pass Dallas for the No. 6 spot in the Western Conference.

Ty Lawson went 5 of 5 on 3-pointers and had 29 points and 10 assists to lead Denver to the playoff-clinching 118-107 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Saturday.

Denver pulled even with Dallas after the Mavericks lost at Chicago. Dallas, though, has the tiebreaker with the Nuggets.

”We have three games left and we are going to try to win all three of them There won’t be any rest going on here,” Karl said. ”We are not in that mode. We are into getting better and coming together. It is a young team that will have to learn how to win in the playoffs. On the job training, but it has been done before.”

The Suns fell a game behind Utah for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Jazz, playing at home, rallied to beat Orlando in overtime. Phoenix must win at Uah on Tuesday to keep its playoff hopes alive. The Suns own the tiebreaker against the Jazz.

”We got to go into Utah – tough environment, tough atmosphere, tough team – and we got to win,” said the Suns’ Shannon Brown, who scored 28 points, including a career-best 6 3s in 12 attempts. ”That’s basically what it comes down to.”

Steve Nash of the Suns had 13 assists, nine in the first quarter, and passed Oscar Robertson into fifth place on the NBA’s career list. The Suns lost Channing Frye to a shoulder injury in the second quarter.

The Nuggets beat the Suns for the sixth straight time, three this season.

”They’ve got size, they got strength, they got a lot of skill, they can shoot the ball,” Nash said. ”You know, they’ve got a really good team, a really deep team, so they’ve been causing a lot of problems for us and we haven’t been able to beat them.”

Arron Afflalo scored 19 points and Kenneth Faried had 16 for the Nuggets, who had six players finish in double figures, shot 55 percent from the field and had a 26-2 advantage on fastbreak points.

Lawson noted that the Suns, like so many other teams, passed on him in the 2009 draft. Phoenix chose Earl Clark at No. 14. Lawson finally went at No. 18 to Minnesota.

”I mean, that is probably the only added motivation I have,” Lawson said. ”It has nothing against Steve. He is definitely one of my idols so you always want to see how good you are against your idols.”

Marcin Gortat had 18 points and 11 rebounds for Phoenix.

Denver used a third-period outburst to build a 21-point lead. The Suns cut it to 10 in the fourth quarter but could get no closer.

Nash passed Robertson with his fourth assist, on a 3-pointer by Frye just 4:22 into the game. The two-time MVP had assists on five of Phoenix’s first six field goals and finished the first quarter with nine.

After a tight first half, the Nuggets outscored Phoenix 33-14 to start the third quarter, going up 93-72 on Al Harrington’s fastbreak dunk with 2:31 left in the period. The Suns, though, scored the final eight points of the quarter to cut it to 93-80 entering the fourth. The closest the Suns got after that was 105-95 on Brown’s 3 with 4:42 left. Lawson and Andre Miller followed with layups and Phoenix didn’t threaten again.

”We could never get them under control at the start of the third quarter,” Suns coach Alvin Gentry said. ”They got a couple of easy layups and we struggled to slow them down from there.”

Lawson scored 11 points in the third quarter, making 4 of 6 shots, including all three 3-point attempts.

The Nuggets led 60-58 after a first half that saw neither team lead by more than six points. Denver shot 59.5 percent in the first half, led by Lawson’s 7 for 9 for 16 points. The Suns shot 54 percent in the first half, with Gortat going 6 for 9 for 14 points.

Frye sustained a subluxed right shoulder when he went up for a rebound with 4:33 left in the first half. The Suns’ starting power forward, who leads the team with 91 3-pointers, missed nearly two weeks after dislocating the same shoulder late last season.

Notes: Nash, with 9,897 assists, trails only Magic Johnson (10,141), Mark Jackson (10,334), Jason Kidd (11,830 and counting) and John Stockton (15,806). … The Nuggets won the season series 3-0. … The Suns’ Robin Lopez, ejected for a ”flagrant 2” foul in the victory over the Clippers on Thursday, drew a technical from referee Rodney Mott with 6:09 left in the first half.

PHOENIX (AP)

Now that the Denver Nuggets are in the playoffs for the ninth consecutive season, there will be no letting up for the final three games of the regular season.

Coach George Karl wants his young team to gain some momentum, and there’s still a chance to pass Dallas for the No. 6 spot in the Western Conference.

Ty Lawson went 5 of 5 on three-pointers and had 29 points and 10 assists to lead Denver to the playoff-clinching 118-107 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Saturday.

Denver pulled within a half-game of Dallas, which played at Chicago on Saturday night and holds the tiebreaker over Denver.

”We have three games left and we are going to try to win all three of them. There won’t be any rest going on here,” Karl said. ”We are not in that mode. We are into getting better and coming together. It is a young team that will have to learn how to win in the playoffs. On the job training, but it has been done before.”

The Suns fell a half-game behind Utah for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Jazz played at home against Orlando on Saturday night. Phoenix plays at Utah on Tuesday and holds the tiebreaker over the Jazz.

”We got to go into Utah — tough environment, tough atmosphere, tough team — and we got to win,” said the Suns’ Shannon Brown, who scored 28 points, including a career-best six threes in 12 attempts. ”That’s basically what it comes down to.”

Steve Nash of the Suns had 13 assists, nine in the first quarter, to pass Oscar Robertson into fifth place on the NBA’s career list. The Suns lost Channing Frye to a shoulder injury in the second quarter.

The Nuggets beat the Suns for the sixth straight time, three this season.

”They’ve got size, they got strength, they got a lot of skill, they can shoot the ball,” Nash said. ”You know, they’ve got a really good team, a really deep team, so they’ve been causing a lot of problems for us and we haven’t been able to beat them.”

Arron Afflalo scored 19 points and Kenneth Faried had 16 for the Nuggets, who had six players finish in double figures, shot 55 percent from the field and had a 26-2 advantage on fastbreak points.

Lawson noted that the Suns, like so many other teams, passed on him in the 2009 draft. Phoenix chose Earl Clark at No. 14. Lawson finally went at No. 18 to Minnesota.

”I mean, that is probably the only added motivation I have,” Lawson said. ”It has nothing against Steve. He is definitely one of my idols, so you always want to see how good you are against your idols.”

Marcin Gortat had 18 points and 11 rebounds for Phoenix.

Denver used a third-period outburst to build a 21-point lead. The Suns cut it to 10 in the fourth quarter, but could get no closer.

Nash passed Robertson with his fourth assist, on a three-pointer by Frye just 4:22 into the game. The two-time MVP had assists on five of Phoenix’s first six field goals and finished the first quarter with nine.

After a tight first half, the Nuggets outscored Phoenix 33-14 to start the third quarter, going up 93-72 on Al Harrington’s fastbreak dunk with 2:31 left in the period. The Suns, though, scored the final eight points of the quarter to cut it to 93-80 entering the fourth. The closest the Suns got after that was 105-95 on Brown’s three with 4:42 left. Lawson and Andre Miller followed with layups and Phoenix didn’t threaten again.

”We could never get them under control at the start of the third quarter,” Suns coach Alvin Gentry said. ”They got a couple of easy layups and we struggled to slow them down from there.”

Lawson scored 11 points in the third quarter, making 4 of 6 shots, including all three three-point attempts.

The Nuggets led 60-58 after a first half that saw neither team lead by more than six points. Denver shot 59.5 percent in the first half, led by Lawson’s 7 for 9 for 16 points. The Suns shot 54 percent in the first half, with Gortat going 6 for 9 for 14 points.

Frye sustained a subluxed right shoulder when he went up for a rebound with 4:33 left in the first half. The Suns’ starting power forward, who leads the team with 91 three-pointers, missed nearly two weeks after dislocating the same shoulder late last season.

NOTES: Nash, with 9,897 assists, trails only Magic Johnson (10,141), Mark Jackson (10,334), Jason Kidd (11,830 and counting) and John Stockton (15,806). … The Nuggets won the season series 3-0. … The Suns’ Robin Lopez, ejected for a flagrant-2 foul in the victory over the Clippers on Thursday, drew a technical from referee Rodney Mott with 6:09 left in the first half.

The Suns picked a heck of a time to revert to being the team they spent the past two months escaping.

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Nuggets 118, Suns 107 | Box score | Twitter updates

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Denver has a way of doing that to them. For all of the Suns’ progress to becoming a playoff contender, they simply surrender to the Nuggets.

Now the Suns must surrender what they have been against Denver and embrace what they have been against Utah. The Nuggets shredded the Suns’ defense in Saturday’s 118-107 victory at US Airways Center, but the Suns can turn to Tuesday’s game at Utah for hope against a Jazz team they have defeated twice.

The Suns’ playoff clinching formula is no different than it was entering Saturday: If the Suns win the next two games, they make the playoffs. After Tuesday night’s road finale at Utah, they return home Wednesday night for the season finale against San Antonio. Neither effort ought to resemble Saturday’s, or the Suns’ status will resemble last season’s April look.

“It’s disappointing to lose, but we’re still in great position,” Suns guard Steve Nash said. “We’ve given ourselves a chance to control our own destiny still, so we’ve got to regroup and have a great performance in Salt Lake City.”

The Suns (33-31) have won after each of their previous four losses this month. The previous three of those also were double-figure losses, but Saturday’s crumble was worse, with Denver scoring 68 points in the paint, more than any opponent this season. Denver took 59 shots in the paint and only 28 outside it but still needed a big third quarter to blow open a two-point halftime lead.

The Suns also lost Channing Frye to a right-shoulder subluxation in the second quarter, leaving him questionable for Tuesday after it was popped back. Some range of motion returned. Grant Hill also missed a fourth consecutive game because his lateral movement remained uncomfortable due to right-knee soreness he had since leaving an April 14 game. That knee underwent arthroscopic surgery for a meniscus tear March 30. Frye and Hill are questionable for Tuesday.

Saturday’s loss gave the Nuggets six consecutive wins against Phoenix, or eight if two foretelling preseason games were counted. That is when Denver ran over and past the Suns, making it appear that the uptempo torch had been passed. Saturday was a reminder, as Denver used weak-side leak-outs and 17 Suns turnovers to score 26 fast-break points to the Suns’ two.

“They just killed us on transition,” Suns center Marcin Gortat said. “They were way too quick for us, way too explosive. They had way more energy than we had. I don’t think we took what Coach (Alvin Gentry) said seriously. He told us before the game that we have to get back and make sure we stop the drives to the paint. We didn’t execute the game plan well.”

Denver, which clinched a playoff berth Saturday, opened the second half with a 23-6 run to extend a 60-58 halftime lead to 83-64. Lawson made three 3-pointers during the stretch, but Denver also outworked Phoenix for a fast-break layup and two offensive follows. All the while, the Suns’ hot 3-point shooting start (five for six) was followed by 11 consecutive misses that lasted until the fourth quarter. By then, the Suns had fallen behind by as much as 21.

Suns guard Shannon Brown shot like Lawson early, making all three of his first-quarter 3s when the Suns led 34-30 with nine Nash assists. The fourth of Nash’s 13 assists put him in fifth place on the NBA career assist list, passing Oscar Robertson.

Brown made a career-high six 3s on 12 tries but shot 4 of 12 inside the arc and 1 for 8 in the decisive third quarter. Denver never cooled, shooting 55.2 percent and posting the third-highest scoring total against Phoenix this season.

Report

Key player

Denver point guard Ty Lawson made all five of his 3-pointers and finished with 29 points and 10 assists.

Key moment

Denver opened the second half with a 23-6 run that included three Lawson 3s.

Key number

68: Denver’s points in the paint, the most the Suns have surrendered in a game this season.

View from press row

There was insult added to injury in both of Suns power forward Channing Frye’s shoulder injuries in the past 13 months. Whether it was Kevin Durant causing a right-shoulder dislocation that sidelined Frye for five games last season or Danilo Gallinari’s strike that caused a subluxation in the same shoulder Saturday, Frye was robbed of the decency of a foul call on both. The calls were missed, but if he can’t play Tuesday at Utah, the Suns would miss him even more. He has made 14 of 25 3-pointers in the past three games vs. Utah.

DENVER — The Clippers’ starters weren’t getting the job done in the first quarter Wednesday night against the Denver Nuggets, as they trailed by 12 points.

So Clippers Coach Vinny Del Negro turned to his reserves to turn things around in the second quarter, and they responded.

Nick Young had eight points in the second on three-for-five shooting. Mo Williams had five points and Kenyon Martin and Eric Bledsoe both had two.

It was that group that went on a 12-2 run early in the second quarter, turning the game around as the Clippers went on to 104-98 win.

“They just started getting stops for us and got us some momentum,” Del Negro said.

No scouting reports done so far

Even though the Clippers already have clinched a playoff berth, Del Negro said they still aren’t scouting potential playoff opponents.

Part of that is because the Clippers aren’t sure who they will face in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.

If the playoffs started today, the Clippers would host Memphis in the first two games at Staples Center.

But the playoff seedings seem to almost change nightly, leaving the Clippers and most every team in a quandary about who it will play.

“We’re not there yet,” Del Negro said. “There’s obviously a few teams, but my focus and our focus right now is these games and trying to get better and stay with the direction we’re heading and hopefully get better.”

A chance to explore the zone

The Clippers have been mixing in some zone defense with their man-to-man coverages — with mixed results.

There have been games and even moments during the game when the Clippers’ zone has been effective and there have been times when the zone has been ineffective.

“Let’s just say it’s evolving,” Del Negro said, smiling, “sometimes toward the positive and sometimes toward the not so positive.”

What are the positives?

“If we can get some missed jump shots and rebound out of it and try to change the rhythm of the game a little bit,” then that’s good, Del Negro said.

And the negatives?

“If jump shots go in and we don’t rebound out of it, then that’s usually a little bit of a layup drill, which is not good,” Del Negro said. “We’ve got to pick our spots with that.”

Etc.

Reggie Evans didn’t play against the Nuggets on Wednesday night because of what the team called flu-like symptoms… Martin, who played seven seasons for Denver, had his highlights shown on the scoreboard before the game of his time with the Nuggets. It finished with, “Thank you, Kenyon!” Martin waved to the crowd that booed him when he tipped in the game-winning basket late.

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