Kobe Bryant's shoulder is merely fine, After sitting out of the Lakers' loss towards the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday using a sore shoulder, Bryant gave the Lakers an antique performance from the team's fifth wow the season, a 111-107 victory on the Nuggets in Denver.
In 32 minutes, Bryant led all scorers with 31 points, hitting 10 of 22 from the field and nine of 11 from the free-throw line.
The game looked as if it might be over early, with Will Barton scoring 23 points in the first half, helping his Nuggets take a 21-point lead with less than two minutes left before halftime, but the Lakers cut it to a 13-point deficit at intermission.
Bryant took on the defensive assignment in the third quarter -- Barton scored just two points the rest of the game (25 in total to lead the Nuggets).
The Lakers outscored Denver by 16 points in the third period, taking a three-point lead into the final period, holding on to get their first win against a Western Conference opponent this season.
Jordan Clarkson added 19 points with eight rebounds and three steals. Lou Williams scored 17, Brandon Bass 11 and Larry Nance Jr. 10. With Roy Hibbert and Nance in foul trouble, Bass played one of his best defensive games as a Laker, blocking four shots.
The Lakers shot 47.6% from the field, 26.9% (seven for 26) from three-point range and 75% from the line (24 for 32). Denver hit 45.6%, 36% (nine for 25) and 84.2% (16 for 19), respectively.
Gary Harris scored 21 points, Nikola Jokic 15 and Kenneth Faried 14. The Nuggets played without Emmanuel Mudiay (ankle), Wilson Chandler (hip), Danilo Gallinari (ankle) and Jusuf Nurkic (knee).
The Lakers (5-23) play again on Wednesday, hosting the Thunder (19-9) at Staples Center. The Nuggets (11-17) will also play on Wednesday, visiting the Phoenix Suns (12-18).
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