Kobe Bryant finished his last game against the Denver Nuggets with 28 points, but it wasn’t nearly enough as the Nuggets came away with a decisive 116-105 victory in Los Angeles. The Nuggets players were clearly honored to be playing against the retiring great, but not intimidated by him at all as Denver used a balanced attack to keep the Lakers at bay throughout the night. In the end, the Nuggets size advantage was too much to overcome and no amount of Kobe Bryant heroics would have been enough. The final battle between rookies Emmanuel Mudiay and DeAngelo Russell never developed as Mudiay gave way to DJ Augustin who finished with 20 points and 8 assists and Russell was largely ineffective before he had to leave the game with a sprained ankle early in the third quarter. Despite the quiet night from the rookie guards, they’re likely to headline the Nuggets-Lakers matchups of the future.

When/Where

Friday, March 25, 2016, at Staples Center – Los Angeles, CA

Star of the Game

DJ Augustin – 20 points, 6-9 FG, 5-7 3-pt,  8 assists – Augustin came up big again for the Nuggets, especially down the stretch as he managed to hit a number of big shots to turn the tide when it looked like the Lakers might be grabbing the momentum back. DJ’s ability to both back up Emmanuel Mudiay as well as play alongside him has been a boon for the organization since trading away Randy Foye for him at the deadline. With a number of veteran players sidelined with a variety of injuries, Augustine’s steady hand at the point has made a huge difference for a Nuggets team that is learning how to win games that come down to the wire.

Turning Point

A 17-0 run by Denver over a four-minute stretch in the second quarter led to 50-39 Nuggets lead with just under four minutes left in the half. The Lakers would close to within 4 points in the second half thanks to a barrage of 3-pointers and frenetic post play, but the early Nuggets lead was too much to overcome as the lead ballooned back up to 20 points late in the fourth quarter.

Kobe’s Last Stand

The shots looked the same and the post moves were as tricky as ever, but Kobe’s jumpers clanged off the front of the rim more often that not and the pivots in the paint ended with lay-ins rather than emphatic dunks. It’s not the way anyone would have expected it to end for one the NBA’s biggest stars as he often looked like the 6th or 7th best player on the court in a game between two lottery-bound teams. In the end, Kobe finished with vintage numbers and Nuggets fans will have to find someone new to boo as the biggest Nuggets villain of my lifetime rides off into the sunset in his last game against the powder blue. While his 11-point third quarter brought back some not-so-happy memories for Denver fans, knocking down three 3-pointers, it was a couple of Nuggets players who knocked down the most Kobe-like jumpers tonight:

Size Matters

Roy Hibbert was too slow and Brandon Bass and Julius Randle too small to handle the Nuggets young trio of big men Friday night. Nikola Jokic, Jusuf Nurkic and Joffrey Lauvergne took turns owning the paint against the Lakers and were a large reason Denver was able to grab such a large lead in the second quarter. Darrell Arthur was opportunistic and as dependable as always on both sides of the ball as the Nuggets, other than a stretch in the second half that saw the Lakers cut the lead to four, controlled the battles in the paint. It was particularly notable how well the Jokic-Arthur and Nurkic-Joffrey combinations played together, especially with Kenneth Faried likely to be rested quite a bit over the final few games of the season due to his ailing back.

Bench and Balance

Everyone that played contributed for the Nuggets Friday throughout the win. Ten Nuggets played in the first half, all with at least ten minutes of court time and all scored between 3 and 9 pts. In the end, all ten Nuggets players who saw the court finished with between 21 and 28 minutes and Axel Toupane, with seemingly the quietest night of any Denver player, ended up as a team best +26 despite defending Kobe Bryant for the majority of his time on the court. DJ Augustin, Jusuf Nurkic (18 pts) and Will Barton (16 pts) were all key to both of Denver’s big runs and allowed the starters to rest up before their final stretch of four games in five nights begins on Easter Sunday.

Second Half Swoon

The standard 3rd quarter doldrums hit a little later than usual for the Nuggets tonight as they were able to extend their lead to 18 points early in the second half. The Lakers did manage to narrow the gap significantly to close out the quarter as they were down by just 6 points heading into the final period after a 31-25 edge in the third. The ability to fight their way back into games has been a defining characteristic of this Nuggets team, but their proclivity towards letting their opponents do the same is disconcerting, to say the least. They’re young and still finding their confidence, but at some point, the Nuggets will need to learn how to put a team away after getting out to big first half leads. The Nuggets bigs (mostly Nurkic) reasserted themselves in the fourth quarter and brought the Nuggets back up to a 20 point lead.

Plays of the Game

The excellent ball movement by the Nuggets led to a number of highlights, so here are a few of the best:

Quote of the Game

“The guys are playing the right way, and they’re playing for each other, playing for each other on both ends of the floor.” -Nuggets head coach Michael Malone on why this season has been so enjoyable

Lasting Impact

With both teams likely out of the Western Conference playoff race, Kobe Bryant’s finale against Denver leaves the future of the Nuggets-Lakers rivalry up to the young studs on each roster, most of whom made their impact felt tonight. The Nuggets win gives them a 3-1 edge in the season series and gives them another road victory in a season that has made up for a lack of wins with a team of promising, young players and professional veteran players that never quit. The win gives the Nuggets momentum as they head into their final stretch of four games in five nights starting with Easter Sunday’s afternoon game against the Clippers back at Staples Center. The first back-to-back ends with the Nuggets hosting the Dallas Mavericks at the Pepsi Center before they head back out on the road for another back-to-back in Memphis and New Orleans.

Up Next

Sunday, March 27 vs. LA Clippers, 1:30 p.m. MST

The Nuggets get to hang around Los Angeles for the weekend as they head back to the Staples Center to face the Clippers in an afternoon game on Easter Sunday. The major questions facing Denver in part 2 of their last trip to SoCal are: Can Emmanuel Mudiay handle Chris Paul’s relentless defense? Can the Nuggets have success inside with DeAndre Jordan patrolling the paint? And most importantly, do the Nuggets get to leave their things in the visitor’s locker room over the weekend? Only time will tell.