LOS ANGELES – Wilson Chandler scored 19 points, and Ty Lawson had 16 points and 16 assists, leading the Denver Nuggets past the Los Angeles Lakers 101-94 in overtime Sunday night.
Arron Afflalo added 15 points for the Nuggets, who have won five of six after a 1-6 start that was capped by consecutive double-digit losses to Portland.
The Lakers, coming off a 140-106 drubbing at Dallas, began a four-game homestand with their seventh consecutive loss to the Nuggets, despite 27 points from Kobe Bryant. The NBA’s No. 4 career scorer only made 4-of-14 shots after the third quarter and finished 10-for-24.
The losing streak against Denver matches the Lakers’ longest against any club since an eight-game drought against Portland from Feb. 18, 1993, through Jan. 9, 1995. The franchise record for consecutive losses against one team is 19, against Boston from Nov. 6, 1957, through March 3, 1959.
Nuggets reserve Danilo Gallinari had 10 points, including a 3-pointer that gave Denver a 94-90 lead with 1 minute, 28 seconds left in OT. Bryant responded with a short jumper 9 seconds later, but that was the Lakers’ final basket in a game in which they finished at 37.1 percent from the field.
Denver shot 37.8 percent from the floor.
The Nuggets missed 15-of-38 free throws, and the Lakers missed 9-of-34. L.A. has lost five games by seven points or fewer.
Carlos Boozer sat out because of a left shoulder strain, and Ed Davis made his first start as a Laker at power forward. He had four points and five rebounds in 22 minutes before fouling out with 10:37 left in the game and the Lakers ahead 75-73.
Wesley Johnson posterized Gallinari with a soaring slam dunk after a fast-break feed from Jeremy Lin and completed the three-point play to give the Lakers an 85-82 lead with 3:15 left in the fourth quarter. But they didn’t make another field goal until overtime, when Lin hit a short jumper to give them an 88-86 lead with 4 minutes to play.
The Nuggets led 41-39 at halftime despite Afflalo, Chandler and Kenneth Faried all going 2-for-7 from the field. Bryant was the only starter on either team shooting at least 50 percent in the half, going 5-for-9 with 11 points.
The Nuggets, who made 10 or more 3-pointers in each of their previous four games, missed their first 11 attempts from behind the arc against a defense that surrendered 18 against the Mavericks on Friday night. Darrell Arthur ended Denver’s long-range drought with 7:54 left in the half.
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