The Los Angeles Lakers head to Denver Friday night to what has been a house of horrors for them of late, at least in the regular season. The Lakers will face the Nuggets, with the un-traded Carmelo Anthony, at Pepsi Center, a place in which they have lost their last four regular season contests. The four losses have been unique, each one memorable in its own way:
November 12, 2010--Nuggets 118, Lakers 112: Denver handed the Lakers their first loss of the season, as the Andrew Bynum-less defense was unable to stop Denver in the middle. Dexter Fishmore of Silver Screen and Roll recounted the lost lead:
Losses that involve blown leads are always especially irksome, and tonight the Lakers managed to waste a cushion that reached 14 points in the third quarter. An offense that had been lighting up Denver with crisp ball movement, offensive boards and timely three-point shooting lost focus and direction down the stretch. An 11-0 Denver run, their third double-digit run of the game, put the Nuggets up nine with 2:13 left.
April 8, 2010--Nuggets 98, Lakers 96: The Lakers only shot 36.6%, but were still down just two points in the final seconds. Unfortunately, Derek Fisher tried to take Carmel Anthony off the dribble, and Fisher's game-tying shot was blocked away, sealing the Lakers' fate.
November 13, 2009--Nuggets 105, Lakers 79: A close game at halftime got turned on its ear as the Lakers managed just eight points in the third quarter, and just 23 points in the second half.
February 27, 2009--Nuggets 90, Lakers 79: The Lakers shot a meager 29.8%, only the second time since the 1986-1987 season that the team shot under 30 percent in a game.
Things haven't all bad in Denver for the Lakers. They did close out playoff series wins over the Nuggets in the Mile High City in both 2008 and 2009, so there has been some success there. The Lakers hope to replicate some of that success on Friday night as they complete their short two-game road trip.
For more information on Friday's game, be sure to read Silver Screen and Roll.