Nuggets top Lakers

Anthony, who converted 3-of-4 at the free-throw line in the final minute of action for the Nuggets was 15-of-18 at the stripe on the night as the team made 26-of-36 overall.

"A big win especially on the road," said Anthony. "Anytime you go on the road and win it’s great."

Marcus Camby had a huge effort with 21 points, a game-high 20 rebounds and six blocked shots, followed by Allen Iverson with 20 points and a team-high 10 assists in the team’s second straight victory. Nene chipped in 14 points, Linas Kleiza 11 and J.R. Smith 10 points for Denver which is now a game ahead of the LA Clippers for the seventh seed in the Western Conference playoff race.

Leading the way for the Lakers yet again was Kobe Bryant who dropped in a game-high 39 points, shooting a perfect 11-of-11 at the free-throw line yet missed all five opportunities beyond the arc. Lamar Odom registered the 11th triple-double of his career, his third with the Lakers, with 17 points, 14 rebounds and a game-high 12 assists before fouling out. Luke Walton contributed 14 points as well for Los Angeles which is the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference.

"It was disappointing," said Lakers Phil Jackson. "It looked like we had the momentum to make it but it just turned out that we didn’t have enough."

In a game that saw 18 ties and 14 lead changes, neither team gained more than a four-point lead in the first quarter and despite 21 first-half points from Bryant, the Lakers still found themselves trailing at the break, 63-58.

A pair of free throws by Bryant with 1:26 remaining in the third put the home team ahead by six points, 86-80, but a 9-0 run for the Nuggets that carried over into the fourth kept Denver in the hunt.

The fact that Bryant scored just four points in the first nine and a half minutes of the fourth frame kept the door open for Anthony to control the waning moments at the free-throw line.

Game Notes

Denver head coach George Karl was not on the sidelines tonight, spending time with his son Coby, a former Boise State player who underwent his second surgery in the last 13 months for thyroid cancer on Monday...Bryant scored the 19,000th point of his career in the contest, the youngest ever to reach the plateau...In the two previous meetings this season Bryant scored just eight and 25 points, respectively, versus Denver...On Monday Los Angeles head coach Phil Jackson was among seven of the newest class to be selected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame...The Lakers lead the all-time series with Denver, 87-44, but had their eight-game home win streak versus the Nuggets snapped tonight.