The Nuggets next week are expected to sign Jason Hart, giving them a third point guard. Hart has been bought out by the Los Angeles Clippers for about $300,000. After he clears waivers Tuesday, he is expected to sign a prorated minimum deal with the Nuggets.
Hart, making $2.5 million before his buyout, will give the Nuggets the third point guard they are seeking. Hart needed to be waived by Sunday's deadline to be eligible for the playoffs with the Nuggets. Hart has played sparingly with the Clippers this season, averaging 2.3 points in 28 games. He played for Nuggets coach George Karl as a Milwaukee rookie in 2000-01. The Nuggets had been looking at Mateen Cleaves, currently playing for the NBA Development League's Bakersfield Jam, as a possible roster addition. But then the Hart situation materialized.
The Nuggets are seeking a third point guard to take some of the burden off Chauncey Billups, 32, and Anthony Carter, 33.
NUGGETS 90, LAKERS 79: The streak is over.
The Nuggets broke a nine-game losing skid to the Lakers, including the postseason, with a win over Friday at the Pepsi Center.
"We're a tougher-minded team," Nuggets coach George Karl said of the difference between this season and last season, when Denver was swept 4-0 in the first round of the playoffs by the Lakers.
Guards Chauncey Billups and J.R. Smith led the Nuggets with 22 points apiece. Guard Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 29 points. But Bryant shot just 10-of-31 as the Lakers managed just 29.8-percent shooting. It's the second-worst percentage in the team's Los Angeles history.
"We got tired of George saying we weren't playing (any) defense the last week or two," said Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony.
Bryant was 0-of-6 from three-point range as the Lakers shot just 2-of-21 (9.5 percent) from beyond the arc.
Since their 1960-61 Los Angeles arrival, the only worse overall shooting game was a 29.4-percent effort in 2004-05 against Utah. The Lakers were shooting 29 percent until a last-second breakaway lay-up allowed them to avoid infamy.
"People were waiting for us to beat a team like this," said Billups, noting the Nuggets were pounded 114-76 last Monday by Boston.
The Lakers (48-11) have the NBA's top record while the Nuggets (39-20) have the sixth-best.
