Lakers rally from 4th-quarter deficit for 1st home win with Kobe Bryant watching

Kobe Bryant was in the building Thursday.

He picked a good game to watch the purple and gold as the Los Angeles Lakers mounted a furious rally in the final minutes of the game to top the Denver Nuggets 121-114 for their first home win.

Lance Stephenson sparks Lakers

Denver looked in control late, holding a 103-96 lead win with just under seven minutes left in the fourth quarter. But the Lakers took over around the five-minute mark, fueled by none other than Lance Stephenson, who score eight straight Lakers points to pull Los Angeles within 108-106.

An 11-2 run later, and the Lakers were in full control, holding a 117-110 lead with 59 seconds to go.

Stephenson found LeBron James on a fast break during that run for the go-ahead dunk at the 3:31 mark.

Make-em-dance Lance

When TNT’s Kristen Ledlow asked James what sparked the late run, he credited Stephenson.

“Make-em-dance Lance sparked our win tonight,” James said. “The guy was unbelievable.”

It was the second straight win for the Lakers, who improve to 2-3 in the LeBron James era.

James finished with a triple-double, logging 28 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds. Stephenson was strong off the bench with 12 points, four rebounds and four assists, while JaVale McGee continued to shine with 21 points and seven rebounds.

Kobe approves

The win left Bryant pleased. The Lakers great managed to soak in some love from an adoring Staples Center crowd while sitting courtside.

Nikola Jokic continued his dominant start to the season with 24 points and 11 rebounds, but it wasn’t enough as the Nuggets dropped to 4-1 with their first loss of the season.

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