Lakers 101 - 119 Nuggets
Final
  for this game

Lakers, Nuggets tangle at Pepsi Center

Apr 8, 2015 - 2:09 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - Two lottery-bound Western Conference teams collide Wednesday night when the Los Angeles Lakers visit the Pepsi Center to face the Denver Nuggets.

The Lakers own the fourth-worst record in the league and Denver has the seventh-worst mark.

The Nuggets have lost four straight, including three on the road. When they returned to the altitude, the Nuggets fell to the Los Angeles Clippers, 107-92, Saturday.

Wilson Chandler paced the Nuggets with 17 points, while Kenneth Faried chipped in 10 points and 14 boards.

"A very good team and a very wounded team. And a very wounded team that kind of happened all of a sudden," Nuggets coach Melvin Hunt said of the matchup. "Ty (Lawson) was a late scratch."

Lawson missed the contest with a forearm injury and is questionable for Wednesday.

Just 4:07 into the game, it was 18-2 in favor of the visitors.

The Clippers' lead was so substantial that they went scoreless for 4:10 later on during the quarter but still managed to maintain a double-digit advantage.

Los Angeles led 29-15 after 12 minutes and brought a 55-39 edge into the locker room at halftime. Denver played competitive in the third quarter and cut its deficit to 82-70 entering the fourth.

The Clippers slammed the door shut midway through the final frame.

The Nuggets host the Dallas Mavericks and Sacramento Kings on this stay.

The Lakers have dropped four straight, including two in a row to the Clippers. After a 28-point blowout on Monday, the Lakers kept it closer Tuesday before going down, 105-100.

Jordan Clarkson led the Lakers with 20 points to go along with six assists, and Tarik Black added 16 points and nine rebounds.

"We competed. We gave an effort and that is what I'm pleased about," said Lakers coach Byron Scott. "Nobody played great for us tonight, but I'm very happy with our effort."

A 9-2 run midway through the fourth quarter brought the Lakers within one, but the Clippers responded with an 8-0 spurt moments later to make it 97-88 with three minutes to play.

The Lakers did not go away, cutting the deficit to three with 15.7 seconds left. However, it became a free-throw contest down the stretch with Clippers guards Chris Paul and J.J. Redick knocking down two apiece to secure the win.

The Nuggets have won two of three this season against the Lakers, but their record is far better over time. Denver has won eight of the last nine and five straight as the host in the regular season.






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