Nuggets coach George Karl was lauding the Lakers before the game.
Afterward, when Karl plopped down on a foldup chair outside the locker room to address the media, one word he said summed up what the victory meant.
"Wow."
As one of the hottest teams since the trade deadline, the Nuggets made a big splash, halting the Lakers nine-game winning streak with a 95-90 victory Sunday at Staples Center.
The victory, which now makes them 15-4 since trading superstar Carmelo Anthony to the Knicks, also helped the Nuggets (47-29) clinch a postseason berth. They currently sit in the fifth spot.
In the win, which also snapped the Lakers' 10-game home winning streak, Danilo Gallinari scored a team-high 22 points. Kenyon Martin added 18, including a key tip-in in the final seconds of the game.
Meanhwile. The Celtics cruised in Detroit but lost Shaquille O’Neil through a calf injury. George Hill scored 28 to help Spurs snap a six-game losing skid against the Suns, while Miami beat