Lakers win without Kobe Bryant and Mike Brown - Boston Herald

LOS ANGELES â€" Kobe Bryant was again unavailable because of an injured left shin. Coach Mike Brown was nowhere to be seen, and Andrew Bynum was all but invisible for a half Friday night.

But Matt Barnes was there as was Pau Gasol and Metta World Peace, all of whom picked up the slack and the pace to lead the Lakers to a 103-97 victory over the Denver Nuggets at Staples Center, clinching a Lakers playoff berth.

With Bryant out for a fourth consecutive game, the Lakers needed several players to step up, and no one did more than Barnes. He took over Bryant’s role as facilitator and scored a season-high 24 points off the bench. He also had 10 rebounds and was a force defensively as the Lakers held Denver to 44.6 percent shooting from the field.

“There’s been talk all year that the bench can’t do this and can’t do that,” Barnes said. “But this team is a very talented team and we know our roles and that’s a key.

“My job is not to score like this every night. My job is to bring energy and play hard but the nights Kobe is out, guys have to step up.”

Even Bynum managed to fight through Denver’s stifling double teams and overcome a slow start to finish with 30 points and eight rebounds.

But like so many other games this season, the Lakers needed a strong showing down the stretch to avoid a disastrous ending. This time they managed to stop the Nuggets, who pulled to 91-90 with 3:37 left to play.

It was the Lakers’ third consecutive victory without Bryant. He is listed day-to-day and probably will not play Sunday against Dallas.

The Lakers played without Brown, who left shortly before tipoff because of a family matter, leaving the coaching duties to assistant John Kuester. Brown is expected to be back Sunday.

The Lakers came out Friday against the Nuggets looking as though they hadn’t missed a beat since defeating San Antonio on Wednesday. They shot 50 percent or better in the first half and held onto a 54-48 halftime lead.

Once again, the Lakers made life difficult for themselves in the first half. They built a 15-point lead in the second quarter behind Barnes’ 10 points. But the Lakers got sloppy and allowed Denver back into the game and the Nuggets pulled within two (48-46) late with 42 seconds left.

Barnes, however, scored five points, including a 16-footer at the buzzer to give the Lakers a six-point halftime lead.

___

â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"

©2012 The Orange County Register (Santa Ana, Calif.) Visit The Orange County Register (Santa Ana, Calif.) at www.ocregister.com Distributed by MCT Information Services