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Nuggets need improved play on both ends of court

Apr 26, 2008 - 1:58 PM La Lakers at Denver 5:30 pm EDT Western Conference first round Lakers lead, 2-0

DENVER (Ticker) - The Denver Nuggets need to step up on both ends of the floor if they plan on avoiding a first-round departure for a fifth consecutive season.

The eighth-seeded Nuggets try to pull themselves out of a two-games-to-none hole when they take on the Los Angeles Lakers in Game Three of their Western Conference first-round series on Saturday.

Denver failed to stop Kobe Bryant from scoring at will in Game Two en route to a 122-107 setback.

Bryant scored 49 points and added 10 assists on Wednesday, falling just one point shy of his playoff record 50 set against the Phoenix Suns on May 4, 2006.

"I just get into a groove and my teammates start looking for me," Bryant said. "It feels like when you get hot, the ball just finds you. I was able to knock down some shots, make some big plays for us."

Allen Iverson, who led Denver with 31 points, believed there was nothing his team could do to stop Bryant.

"The way he was going, we probably could have 10 people out there on the court and probably wouldn't be able to stop him," Iverson said. "He had a great night, he put his team on his back and was able to carry them."

Bryant wasn't the only player frequently finding the bottom of the net for the Lakers. Pau Gasol and Luke Walton each added 18 points as Los Angeles shot just over 50 percent from the field during the game.

But what frustrated coach George Karl the most was his team's inability to share and take care of the basketball.

The Nuggets committed 14 turnovers on Wednesday while dishing out just 12 total assists.

"We can't win a game on the road with 12 assists," Karl said. "We (can't) win a game against a very good team having more turnovers than assists. It seems like we are harping on that, but were not getting a lot done with the pass."