The reigning NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers arrive in the Rocky Mountains Friday for a rematch of last year's Western Conference Finals with the Denver Nuggets.
After routing New Orleans and Dallas in the opening two rounds of the 2008-09 playoffs and advancing to their first West finals since 1985, the Nuggets fell to the favored Lakers in six games with LA clinching the set in the Pepsi Center .
"We've been waiting kind of all summer to re-introduce ourselves to the Lakers," coach George Karl told the team's Web site. "I think it's kind of good to have the first one on your court."
Denver is coming off a grueling six-game road trip that finished in losing fashion at the Bradley Center on Wednesday when dynamic Bucks rookie Brandon Jennings scored 32 points and dished out nine assists as Milwaukee downed the Nuggets, 108-102.
"He is shifty, very fast. He flows around the basket," Nuggets guard Chauncey Billups said of Jennings .
Carmelo Anthony led Denver with 32 points to go along with 10 rebounds, but did commit seven turnovers to just two assists. Billups added 19 points, J.R. Smith donated 18 points of instant offense off the bench and Nene compiled 16 points and seven rebounds for the Nuggets, who were coming off a nailbiting 90-89 victory over Chicago on Tuesday and finished the trek at 3-3
The Lakers, meanwhile, are coming off a 121-102 rout of Pacific Division-rival Phoenix on Thursday. Kobe Bryant finished with 29 points and Andrew Bynum had 26 points and 15 rebounds in that one.
Bryant and Bynum combined to shoot 26-of-39 for the Lakers, who buried a season-high 57.6 percent as a team on the way to their sixth consecutive victory. Lamar Odom ended with eight points, 12 rebounds and seven assists for the victors.
"It was a tough matchup all around," Suns head coach Alvin Gentry said. "They took us out of almost everything we tried to do. They're a great basketball team. We fought to the end. It was a loss, but there were some positives that came out of it."
The Nuggets, who are hoping to improve to 3-0 at home for the first time since 1989-90 tonight, also dropped three of four to the Lakers in the regular season last year.
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