Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
DENVER (AP) - Timofey Mozgov matched his career high with 23 points, and the Denver Nuggets beat the Los Angeles Lakers 111-99 on Wednesday night to win consecutive games for the first time this season.
First-year Nuggets coach Brian Shaw, who was part of five championship teams with the Lakers as a player and assistant coach, beat Los Angeles in his first matchup against his former team.
Kenneth Faried added 21 points and Ty Lawson had 19 for the Nuggets, who won their fourth straight against the Lakers, their longest winning streak against Los Angeles since 1994.
Pau Gasol led the Lakers with 25 points.
Both teams have been impacted by injuries, though the Nuggets were bolstered by the return of forward Wilson Chandler, who saw his first action of the season after missing the first six games with a strained left hamstring. Chandler scored 12 points, making a pair of key 3-pointers in the fourth quarter.
The Lakers are still without Kobe Bryant, who continues to recover from surgery last spring to repair to a torn Achilles' tendon, and Steve Nash remains sidelined by a nerve problem in his back.
Nuggets center JaVale McGee is out indefinitely with a stress fracture in his left leg and Danilo Gallinari is recovering from reconstructive knee surgery stemming from an injury late last season.
Mozgov jammed home a dunk to put the Nuggets up by 10 with 36 seconds left in the third quarter, but the Lakers scored six straight points to close the period, starting with a 3-pointer by Nick Young to pull to 83-79 going into the fourth.
The Nuggets again pulled away, scoring 10 of the first 13 points starting the final period, including a layup by Nate Robinson off a stolen inbounds pass, putting Denver in front 93-82.
After a basket by Gasol and a free throw by Jordan Hill helped the Lakers narrow the gap to 93-87, the Nuggets responded with a 10-0 run that included two 3-pointers by Chandler and a pair of free throws by Mozgov for a 16-point cushion with about five minutes remaining.
It was more than the Lakers could overcome.
The Lakers pulled to 60-54 at halftime after trailing by as many as 13 points earlier.
Chandler also hit a couple of 3-pointers in the last four minutes of the second quarter to help offset a 7-0 run that the Lakers used to get close.
NOTES: The 60 first-half points were a season high for the Nuggets. ... Mozgov has come off the bench to score in double figures in five of the first seven games. ... The Lakers lost the back end of a back-to-back after beating New Orleans the night before.
(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
