Lakers find offensive range in rout of Nuggets

Reuters/Los Angeles

The Los Angeles Lakers rebounded from their worst offensive performance of the season with an all out blitz from the bench against the Denver Nuggets on Friday, prevailing 122-103 at the Staples Center.

Three nights after their last second loss to the Indiana Pacers in the same building where they managed to score just 77 points, 40 of which were Kobe Bryant’s, the Lakers were on fire offensively across the board as they converted a franchise record-equalling 17 three-pointers.

Dwight Howard played up to his big money reputation with 20 rebounds and 28 points, 16 of which came in the first quarter, with Antawn Jamison and Jodie Meeks coming off the bench to find their range.

Jamison top-scored with 33 points and added 12 rebounds while Meeks added 21 points from seven successful three-point bombs to help the Lakers improve to 8-8 on the year and drop the Nuggets to 8-9.

“I was able to get a couple of easy baskets in the first quarter and then just got into the flow of things,” Jamison told reporters.

“I didn’t expect to lead the team in shot attempts and points, I don’t think there will be too many of those opportunities, but my team mates just did a great job looking for me and getting me involved.” The bench duo were the first Lakers reserves to score at least 20 points each since Bryant, who played a support role on Friday with 14 points and eight assists, and Nick van Exel in 1998.

“Antawn has been a scoring machine for his whole career and we bring out the best in each other,” Meeks, 25, told reporters.  “If he gets going I want to get going as well. I am trying to learn on the fly, I am a young guy in this league, but I think I’m doing a pretty good job of learning from these guys.”

The Brooklyn Nets won their fifth-straight game by beating the Orlando Magic 98-86 behind the hot hand of Joe Johnson who scored a game-high 22 points. Johnson shot 10-of-16 from the field while Gerald Wallace nailed five three pointers for the streaking Nets at Amway Center arena.

Wallace finished with 20 points and Andray Blatche added 14 points and nine rebounds in the win. Deron Williams had 11 points and seven assists, while Kris Humphries had 11 points and seven rebounds. Glen Davis scored a team-high 16 points and E’Tuwan Moore added 13 points for the Magic, who have lost three in a row. Moore shot six-of-10 from the field while Andrew Nicholson and Nikola Vucevic had 12 points each in the loss. Brooklyn led 25-21 at the end of a tightly played first quarter. C.J. Watson buried a deep three-pointer early in the second quarter to give Brooklyn a five-point cushion at 32-27. Orlando rallied to tie the game on three different occasions and stayed within one possession for the duration of the quarter. Moore hit a running jumper at the horn to cut the Nets’ lead to 45-44 at halftime. But Brooklyn poured it on in the fourth quarter, leading by as many as 20 en route to a convincing victory.

The Memphis Grizzlies finished the first month of the NBA season with a November to remember. Rudy Gay scored 18 points, Spaniard Marc Gasol and Mike Conley added 17 apiece as the Grizzlies roared past the visiting Detroit Pistons 90-78 on Friday night for their fourth straight victory.

The Grizzlies’ sixth consecutive victory in the series extended their fastest start in basketball franchise history to an NBA-best 12-2 record. “We had a great month, but we have to keep growing,” said Gasol, who grabbed 11 rebounds, as well. “We still have a lot of room to grow and must keep working toward our main goal.”

The Grizzlies will travel to face the San Antonio Spurs Saturday, in an early season test of Western Conference powerhouses.

“It’s a big game for us, we have to be ready and pumped up,” Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph said. “It’s going to be a dogfight.”

Darrell Arthur added 11 points and fellow-reserve Jerryd Bayless finished with 10 for the Grizzlies, who forced 22 turnovers that led to a whopping 31 points. “Defensively, we’re pressuring people,” Bayless explained. “We continue to get stops and score.”

After leading 53-45 at halftime, the Grizzlies watched their guests open on 12-2 run to pull even at 57-57 with 6 minutes, 50 seconds left in the third period.

The Grizzlies answered by going on a 13-3 tear, with Conley leading the way. The speedy point guard scored nine consecutive points in the burst, converting an old-fashioned three-point play, before burying back-to-back triples.

Gay capped the surge with a high-flying dunk and two free throws, making it 70-60 at the 2:56 mark. “I just wanted to be aggressive and get to the paint,” Conley said. Memphis carried a 76-66 cushion into the final frame and never let the lead dip below eight. Greg Monroe had 17 points with nine rebounds, while Tayshaun Prince scored 15 for the Pistons, who dropped to 5-12, including 1-9 on the road.

Kevin Durant dropped in 25 points, Russell Westbrook had 23 with 13 rebounds, eight assists and a season-high seven steals, and the Thunder dropped the visiting Jazz for its fourth straight win. Carmelo Anthony and JR Smith tallied 20 points apiece, and the Knicks whipped the visiting Wizards, who dropped to a league-worst 1-13 record.