Kobe Bryant gets triple-double, Lakers defeat Nuggets
Kobe Bryant posted a triple-double with 23 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a victory over the Denver Nuggets, 111-103. The Lakers shot lights out, finishing 40-76 (52.6%) from the field, including 14-25 (56.0%) from beyond the arc. Los Angeles (10-22) gets one in the win column after losing to Phoenix on Sunday.
Bryant finished 6-11 from the field (3-5 on 3-pointers) and 8-11 from the free throw line, in a solid outing. Carlos Boozer contributed 19 points and nine rebounds for Los Angeles as well. Despite the loss, Ty Lawson put up 16 points for Denver on 5-11 shooting (1-4 on 3-point attempts), in addition to going 5-9 from the free throw line. He also registered nine assists. Ty Lawson contributed 16 points and nine assists, Nate Robinson finished with 13 points and six assists, and Timofey Mozgov put up 11 points and eight rebounds.
The Lakers combined an eFG% of 61.8% with 56.0% 3-point shooting. They are 2-1 this year when registering marks above 55% and 40% in those respective statistics. The Nuggets, on the other hand, are winless (0-5) when allowing opponents to hit those marks.
This drops Denver (13-19) to 1-1 against Los Angeles on the year.
Coming up, the Lakers play the Memphis Grizzlies, who are 23-8 on the season. The Nuggets match up with the Chicago Bulls, currently sitting at 22-10 this year. The Lakers came up short against Memphis each of the last two times they've met. The Nuggets have a 1-0 record against Chicago this season.
