Surging Nuggets Stun Lakers At Staples Center
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Danilo Gallinari scored 22 points, Kenyon Martin scored six of his 18 in the final 3:24, and the Denver Nuggets hung on for their sixth straight win, 95-90 over the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday.
Kobe Bryant scored 28 points for the Lakers, who snapped a nine-game winning streak to fall 2 1/2 games behind San Antonio in the Western Conference.
The NBA-leading Spurs beat Phoenix 114-97 earlier Sunday to end a six-game slide.
Los Angeles has six games left to try and overtake the Spurs and earn homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs.
The Lakers face the Spurs for the fourth and final time this season on April 12 in their next-to-last regular-season game.
The Lakers need five more wins to reach 60 for the 12th time and third under coach Phil Jackson.
All seven of Jackson's teams to reach 60 victories won the NBA title, including five times with
Chicago.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
