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Lakers Learn Nuggets Won't Crack

Denver Delivers For Home Crowd

DENVER, Colorado, 12:54 a.m. PST March 1, 2001 -- Nick Van Exel hit a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 37 seconds remaining and added eight straight free throws, as the Denver Nuggets overcame 38 points by Kobe Bryant for a 107-101 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.

Antonio McDyess added 14 points and 16 rebounds to help the Nuggets end Los Angeles' four-game winning streak.

Denver had lost 11 of 14.

Bryant, who returned after missing three games with a sprained right ankle, hit 16 of 28 shots but missed an uncontested 3-pointer after Van Exel had put Denver ahead for good, 99-96.

Van Exel finished with 27 points and had 11 assists, and Raef LaFrentz had 19 points.

After Bryant's miss, Van Exel hit two free throws with 30 seconds left.

The Lakers got as close as 103-101 in the final 17 seconds but lost for just the third time in 12 games as Van Exel kept converting free throws.

Shaquille O'Neal finished with 23 points and 11 rebounds.

He and Bryant combined for 26 straight points for the Lakers during a 15:45 span of the third and fourth quarters.

The Lakers, who lost to Denver without O'Neal in December, led 79-75 after three quarters and the teams traded leads nine times in a six-minute span of the fourth.

Bryant's 17-footer tied the game for the 18th and final time with 1:28 to go, and the teams traded misses before Van Exel hit a 3-pointer from the right wing. He had been 6-for-16 from the field to that point.

Showing no sign of having a bad ankle, Bryant made 8 of 12 shots and scored 17 points to help the Lakers take a 57-51 halftime lead.

He finished with 10 rebounds and six assists but committed five turnovers.

Denver led by three before Los Angeles closed the half with a 13-4 run, punctuated by O'Neal's one-handed dunk with 3.4 seconds remaining.

Copyright 2001 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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