Afflalo has become the starting shooting guard and is averaging 9.0 points.

"I'm just trying to get wins," he said. "The more I play within the team, the more I find my rhythm."

Affalo has had an 18-point game, but Friday might have marked his best outing. He scored just eight points but played solid defense on Lakers star Kobe Bryant in a 105-79 win. Bryant scored 19 points, all in the first half.

"Just do whatever Coach (George Karl) asks," Afflalo said of his role. "Just focus defensively sometimes."

--After the Nuggets lost 4-2 to the Lakers in last spring's Western Conference final, Nuggets forward Kenyon Martin wasn't shy about saying he still believed Denver had the better team. Martin repeated his feelings throughout the offseason.

On Friday, the Nuggets clobbered the Lakers 105-79 at the Pepsi Center. With that in mind, one would think Martin would have been gloating more than anyone. But Martin knows the teams have three more regular-season meetings.

"It's just one win, that's all," Martin said. "Everybody is making a big deal about it. We needed to get a win after the road trip (that the Nuggets went 3-3 on, closing with a loss at Milwaukee)."

The Nuggets were embarrassed about the loss to the Bucks. Several players said that, as much as getting revenge against the Lakers, they wanted to make up for that defeat.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "(The Lakers) are at the top of the mountain, and we have to figure out how to get ready for the opportunity in May or June to try to knock them off the top of the mountain." -- Nuggets coach George Karl, after his team's 105-79 win Friday over the Lakers.