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Desperate Nuggets host Kobe, Lakers

Sat 26th, April 2008

(Sports Network) - The eighth-seeded Denver Nuggets need a victory against the top-seeded Los Angeles Lakers in Game 3 of their first-round playoff series, as the teams battle today at the Pepsi Center.

The Lakers lead the best-of-seven series 2-0. Game 4 is scheduled for Monday in Denver.

On Wednesday, Kobe Bryant exploded for 49 points, scoring 20 in the opening quarter and 19 in the fourth, and the Lakers claimed a two-game series advantage with a 122-107 victory over the Nuggets at the Staples Center. Bryant shot 18-of-27 from the floor, at one point hitting 10 straight shots during the first half, and also dished out 10 assists.

Luke Walton and Pau Gasol added 18 points apiece in the victory for the Lakers.

Allen Iverson had 31 points and six assists to lead the Nuggets, while Carmelo Anthony scored 23 in the loss. Marcus Camby had six points and four blocked shots to go along with a game-high 17 rebounds, but Denver's comeback bid fell short when Kenyon Martin, who held Bryant to 10 total points during the second and third quarters, fouled out midway through the fourth stanza.

In Game 1, Gasol finished with 36 points, 16 rebounds and eight assists as the Lakers used a strong second half to blitz the Nuggets, 128-114, at the Staples Center. Bryant netted 18 in the fourth quarter and ended with 32 points in the victory.

The Lakers have won two straight Game 3s in the playoffs, while Denver has dropped two of its last Games 3s in the postseason.

This is the fourth time these teams have met in the postseason. The Lakers are a perfect 3-0 against the Nuggets, as they defeated Denver in the first round of the playoffs in 1979 and 1987. The Lakers also knocked out the Nuggets in five games, 4-1, in the 1985 West finals.

The Lakers have been eliminated two straight years by the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the playoffs. They lost in seven games in 2006 and in five during the opening round of the 2007 postseason.

The Nuggets have advanced to the playoffs for the fifth straight year. They have been eliminated four straight years in the opening round of the postseason, and are 4-16 during that span. They fell in five games in the opening round to Minnesota in 2004, San Antonio in 2005, 2007 and the Clippers in 2006.

The last time the Nuggets advanced to the second round of the playoffs was during the 1994 postseason. Denver upset the Seattle SuperSonics in five games, 3-2, in the opening round that season, but was ousted in seven games by Utah in the Western semifinals.

The Lakers were 3-0 against the Nuggets during the regular season. LA defeated Denver twice at the Staples Center and on December 5 at the Pepsi Center.

Where the players come to play and STAY.