Nuggets end Lakers’ winning streak at 5

MOSCOW/BARCELONA

Corey Brewer (L) shined as the Denver Nuggets beat the Los Angeles Lakers. AFP photo

Corey Brewer came off the bench and drained six three-pointers on Dec. 26 as the Denver Nuggets defeated Los Angeles 126-114 and snapped the Lakers’ NBA winning streak at five games.

Brewer led the Nuggets with 27 points. Kenneth Faried added 21 points and 15 rebounds and Ty Lawson chipped in 17 points and 14 assists for the Nuggets, who bounced back from a 112-100 Christmas Day loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.

To do so, the Nuggets had to overcome 40 points from Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant.
Pau Gasol added 19 points for the Lakers, who were coming off a 100-94 victory over the New York Knicks on Dec. 25.

Dwight Howard scored 12 points and grabbed seven rebounds for the Lakers before he was ejected in the third quarter when he was whistled for a flagrant foul after making contact with the head of a driving Faried.

Leading by just one point early in the second half, Denver used a 14-2 scoring run to establish a double-digit lead.

The Lakers answered with a 12-5 run to trim the deficit to six points, but Howard’s ejection inspired Denver to a 6-0 spurt.

Brewer drained another three-pointer early in the fourth to stretch Denver’s lead to 14 points, and the Lakers did not get closer than seven the rest of the way as Denver posted their seventh straight win at home.

Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni was reluctant to call the defeat a setback for a team but Gasol admitted the loss was “a little bit of a setback” for a Lakers team that had appeared to be rounding into form after the slow start to the season that lead to the departure of former coach Mike Brown.