Going into the game, everything seemed to be against the Nuggets. They were without head coach George Karl and their “energy” man, Eduardo Najera. Kobe Bryant was looking to become the youngest player in NBA history to reach 19,000 points for his career. The game was being attended by stars like Jack Black and Brooke Shields. That’s a lot of stress for the Nuggets, and that doesn’t even mention the race for playoff positioning! All that said, the Nuggets knew what had to be done. They needed a win and they didn’t disappoint.

With a 111-105 victory over the L.A. Lakers, the Nuggets are entering the home stretch with a solid win. It is always difficult for me to root against Kobe, but it does only happen four times a year (unless the Nuggets and Lakers meet in the playoffs). That being said, I was thoroughly impressed with the effort the Nuggets displayed. ‘Melo scored 31 points and Allen Iverson added a double-double as the Nuggets stars went against the best player in the NBA, Kobe Bryant. Bryant didn’t disappoint either. Kobe scored 39 points and became the youngest player ever to reach 19,000 career points. Still, it wasn’t enough to overcome the Nuggets.

Coach Karl, who was absent attending to family matters, was replaced by assistant coach Adrian Dantley, a former Laker. Dantley did a great job as coach and the Denver players didn’t want to let the first-time coach down. The Nuggets played one of their most complete games of the season. Every Nugget that stepped on the court contributed. Marcus Camby was huge with 20 rebounds and 21 points. J.R. Smith and Linas Leiza came off the bench and added 21 points. It was a complete team effort.

This was a win the Nuggets needed. Not only does it move them a game closer to the sixth seed, it also gives them some momentum going into the final nine games of the regular season. If the Nuggets get hot, there is no limit to the damage they can do in the post season.