<div align="center"> Los Angeles Lakers: 18-14 Denver Nuggets: 14-20 Date: Wednesday, January 12th Time: 6:00 PM TV: KCAL, NBALP Previous Games: Lakers @ Wolves 105-96 (WIN) Nuggets @ Kings 109-100 (LOSS) <font color="purple"><font size="1">(Coach Rudy Tomjanovich)</font></font> C - <font color="Purple">Chris Mihm</font> (10.8 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 0.7 APG) PF - <font color="Purple">Lamar Odom</font> (14.3 PPG, 10.4 RPG, 2.7 APG) SF - <font color="Purple">Caron Butler</font> (13.3 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 1.3 APG) SG - <font color="Purple">Kobe Bryant</font> (28.6 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 6.7 APG) PG - <font color="Purple">Chucky Atkins</font> (11.6 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 4.0 APG) <font size="4">VS</font> <font color="deepskyblue"><font size="1">(Coach Michael Cooper)</font></font> C - <font color="deepskyblue">Marcus Camby</font> (8.8 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 1.6 APG) PF - <font color="deepskyblue">Kenyon Martin</font> (15.3 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 2.9 APG) SF - <font color="deepskyblue">Carmelo Anthony</font> (21.2 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 3.3 APG) SG - <font color="deepskyblue">DerMarr Johnson</font> (6.1 PPG, 1.7 RPG, 1.2 APG) PG - <font color="deepskyblue">Andre Miller</font> (14.8 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 6.1 APG) LAKERS - <font color="purple">Jumaine Jones</font> Predicted Stats: 10 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist NUGGETS - <font color="deepskyblue">Earl Boykins</font> Predicted Stats: 13 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists LAKERS - <font color="purple">Kobe Bryant</font> Predicted Stats: 35 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists NUGGETS - <font color="deepskyblue">Carmelo Anthony</font> Predicted Stats: 26 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists</div> Kobe returns to Denver...not the best place to be, but I'm sure Nuggets fans remember his face all too well from last season. The facts? Last year, Kobe kicked it up a notch or two when returning from court in Denver, to play a game that ran on the same day as his court date. Although there are no dates for that today, Kobe has a new challenge issued: Coop's challenge. In their last meeting, Kobe had passed Michael Cooper, the Nuggets' new head coach, as he was telling his players to lock down Kobe. Coop then proceeded to look into Kobe's eyes and say something along the lines of, "Yeah, lock you down." It didn't happen, and the Lakers won that game with a nice performance by the man himself. Look for it to be the same way tonight. Even with K-Mart back in business, Kobe and the Lakers are finding ways to win. It may not be pretty, but the season is nearing ASW, and that means one thing: time to start playing hard. No matter who's put in front of them...the Suns, Sonics, or Heat...the Lakers need to pull together, stop watching this "one man show" in LA, and run things like a team. If this fails to happen soon, Los Angeles may be looking at a huge disappointment. The key to this game will be each team's bench production. Believe it or not, Nene, Buckner, Boykins and White can turn this game around for the Nuggets, but the Lakers can't let that happen. If this means Kobe plays 48 minutes, so be it...but the Lakers need more help than that. In comes Jumaine Jones and Brian Grant, who can give the Nuggets a few more bodies to bang with, and may cause trouble for Denver on the glass. If that's not enough, Cook needs to shoot the lights out if he comes off the bench with a hot hand, which proves to be helpful in games we have trailed in leading up to the 4th quarter. Michael Cooper was a defensive-minded player. In turn, Cooper is also a defensive-minded coach. Therefore, the Lakers have to be shooting good tonight in order to win. We know LA's defense is far from great (with the exception of defensive rebounds), so we may have to challenge Denver's abilities on the defensive end, even if that means them scoring over 100 (gasp). However, I doubt the Nuggets can score 100+ in this game, so I'm comfortable settling with the 80's and 90's range. The Nuggets better have their visine...it gets the red out. The Lakers are going to shoot the lights out tonight, which you should expect from this team. Los Angeles will hit over 46% of their shots, and Kobe will have a great night in Denver, as the Lakers push the Nuggets farther down into the West's pool of disappointing teams and win this game, 98-90.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Real Deal:</div><div class="quote_post">(coming soon...can't stay logged on long enough to post it )</div> Allow cookies or write it one word and copy paste it on
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Real Deal:</div><div class="quote_post">(coming soon...can't stay logged on long enough to post it )</div> It doesn't matter to me Nuggets are on a bad losing streak, if they win this game they better turn around their season otherwise just give the Lakers the W for their third straight. And given how Kobe's always amped at Denver, I think the Lakers will take it, but not without a fight from the Nuggets who will trail early in the game and tie it and lose it. Lakers: 101-93.
Nothing much too add. purpleb0ng said it all. Hope to see a good game and at the end we as the Laker fans smiling. Win win win win
Well...The Lakers will win this game very easlily...The Lakers will win by 12.so be happy.An easy win for Kobe and the boyz will occur tonight as the Lakers will cream the Nuggets. Lakers 110 Nuggets 88
Died by the 3. The thing with the lakers is that they depend sooo much on the 3. I don't think they have any 3 point shooters who will make it consistently either. So if they don't make the 3s their style of play will make them lose if they don't make their 3s. The weird thing is andre miller who has an injury that allows him to only jump half inch set shots showed more accuracy and smart shots than any of the laker players. Kobe, who's been the most reliable and consistent players in the lakers and the nba didnt show it tonight . His shot selection, especially at the 3 pt line wasnt really good since he was contested with his 3s and I saw him shoot while he was doing a fadeaway...I dont think the nugets played that well either..just that the lakers were playing worst and werent defending..
Yha, Just because won night they were shootin the lights out from the 3 doesnt mean they should do it every night. Theyre relying on the 3 too much. They need to penetrate. This is a bad habbit. I hope they snap out of it.
its all Rudy's fault. he's the one that keeps telling them to shoot the 3's. c'mon Rudy!! give them some good plays!!
I'm pissed off. Rudy needs Bobbitt in uniform and the players executing the triangle. This was something I didn't need to see tonight. 29 threes is NOT the answer. I've said it before, and I'll say it again...shooting threes catches up with every team. The Lakers can't shoot them in the first place, so it never did have to catch up. Jim Cleamons and Tex Winter, I'll pay you $500 each if you come back to LA (like that'll be change in your pocket).
I dont think bobbit is the answer..I dont know who he is but he wont be the answer. It might be rudy's fault..he is makin them save themselves and depend themselves too much on 3s, which isnt a good thing. he also needs to get the whole team involved..such as making plays for odom. Odom doesnt seem to play his games with confidence , defensively and offensively . He has so much potential ..he was so good in miami. He used to get close to triple doubles every game as a heat and clipper..
All I know, is that was no Laker basketball. Hey, some teams can live and die from the arc. The Sonics are one team that can. I wonder when it will catch up to them.
I Was thinking that this would be a great game for the Lakers.The Lakers should have beaten the Nuggets.Perhaps the Lakers were trying too hard to win,but instead ended up losing.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting MR_SAC_KING:</div><div class="quote_post">I Was thinking that this would be a great game for the Lakers.The Lakers should have beaten the Nuggets.Perhaps the Lakers were trying too hard to win,but instead ended up losing.</div> Unfortunetly I don't think they tried at all. Kobe only took 5 shots in the second half. The only guy trying was Butler. He at least was getting to the foul line quite abit in the end. Maybe they were saving there energy for tonights matchup. That sounds stupid I know. But what else could it be. It was disgusting. They were only down by 12 with lots of time left and they just kept throwing up bricks from the arc. It was so disgusting it made me yell at the TV, loudly. My girlfriend even had to tell me that they can't hear me. If they don't come with intensity tonight.......but they will..it seems as if they play harder against better teams so we will see..
