DENVER - The old Kobe Bryant sure looked an awful lot like the young Kobe Bryant.Thats what a little bit of rest will do.Bryant had 23 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds for his 21st career triple-double, and the Los Angeles Lakers held off the Denver Nuggets 111-103 Tuesday night to end a three-game losing streak.At 36 years, 129 days, Bryant is the second-oldest among active players to record a triple-double, trailing only Tim Duncan, who was 38 years, 224 days when he had 14 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists against Memphis on Dec. 5, according to STATS.It just seemed so easy for Kobe to get that triple-double, teammate Jeremy Lin said. Hes so talented. ... Hes lost a little bit of his athleticism. Hes not the same, in terms of explosiveness or his body recovering or whatever. Thats no secret.But hes finding ways to be effective and manage regardless of that. As your body evolves, you have to evolve as a player.Bryant played nearly 32 minutes in his second game back after missing three games around Christmas because of overall soreness. That time off proved beneficial. It gave him a chance to reflect — on his game and the way he wanted to play.You see now — very, very efficient, said Bryant, who also had nine turnovers. I know exactly where I want to go. I get to my spots. I dont try to beat guys with quickness. I back them down, get to my areas and elevate over them. Old school Oscar Robertson-style.The Lakers star shot 6 of 11 from the floor, giving him 25,000 field goal attempts for his career. The only players whove attempted more shots in NBA history are Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (28,307) and Karl Malone (26,210), according to STATS.Are all those attempts catching up to him now?Absolutely, Bryant said. I feel every single one of them.As Bryant sat in the locker room, he placed his feet in an ice bucket.Nuggets coach Brian Shaw warned him of days like this.Before the game, Shaw told stories about being teammates with Bryant a decade ago and how Bryant used to make fun of the veteran for icing his knees.I told him that one day ice was going to be his best friend, Shaw said.About then, Bryant stopped by and hugged Shaw.Im sharing stories about when you used to laugh at me (for using ice), Shaw said.Now Ive got to do it before the game. How about that? Bryant said.Afterward, too.Carlos Boozer had 19 points and Ronnie Price added a season-high 18 for the Lakers.Ty Lawson and Jusuf Nurkic both finished with 16 points for the Nuggets, who have lost four of five.Nurkic was trying not to be a fan, even though Bryant was one of the rookies favourite players when he was growing up in Bosnia Herzegovina.When I played overseas, I followed him all the time, Nurkic said. But we lost. He did what he wanted.Just as Bryant used to when he was younger. Given his age and injuries, hes had to retool his game.Its like golf and changing your swing, Bryant said. But its something that I have taken the challenge. Ive figured it out, like Ive figured everything else out.After getting out to a fast start, the Lakers appeared to be cruising toward a blowout win. They led by as many as 23 points late in the third quarter, only to have Denver slice the lead to 101-96 with 3:53 remaining.Thats when Bryant drew a foul on Alonzo Gee on a 3-point attempt. The Nuggets werent pleased with the call and Nate Robinson voiced his displeasure, drawing a technical foul. Bryant made three of four free throws to help the Lakers gain some separation.Robinson drew another technical after having a 3-pointer taken off the board — he stuck out his foot to draw contact — and was ejected.The problem with us was we waited too late to start playing with that kind of energy and intensity, Shaw said.___TIP-INSLakers: Coach Byron Scott will bring centre Tarik Black along slowly after the Lakers were awarded the rookie on Sunday when he was waived by Houston. ... The Lakers made their first seven shots. ... Los Angeles set a season high for assists (31).Nuggets: F Kenneth Faried was held to four rebounds. He grabbed 44 over his previous two games. ... Wilson Chandler, one of the Nuggets top scorers, bruised his right quadriceps in the first half and didnt return. He finished with nine points.UP NEXTLakers: Host Memphis on Friday.Nuggets: At Chicago on Thursday. Avery Williamson Jets Jersey . 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I felt bad for coach Dwane Casey in Charlotte. Its a helpless feeling as a coach when you have a team that thinks that they can beat folks with talent and not have to do the work to win. He was scrambling, trying to mix and match combinations and burn timeouts to give wake up calls, yet in the end, a terrific desperate effort came up short. As you can tell, I havent even mentioned Xs and Os once and dont have to or plan to - thats not the issue here, nor is it talent. To sum it up, winning is really, really, really hard to do, but losing is really easy. Youre a 20-20 club. Do you want to be mediocre or average or do you want to accomplish something? Its gut-check time and theres a very simple solution to the problem: Respect your opponent, have top-notch attention to detail, compete with great passion and stay committed to the team concept. You do that and youll be fine. If you dont, there will be changes. The trade deadline is 30 days away. You dont want to get stuck in no mans land. You gave away three games in the past six days to teams that are banged up with slightly inferior talent levels and you have to wonder about the direction you want to take this. I love what general manager Masai Ujiri has done with this whole thing, being patient with the process. Its all on the players now. Its time to produce and, more importantly, learn from this experience and, if you do have success again, dont let these things happen again. You cant stay like this - either cross the line and be a consistently good team with great habits or make changes. The clock is ticking now. 2. HERE THEY COME: Hearing footsteps yet? Im sure youve all noticed that the Atlanta Hawks have gotten the third seed back in its possession and the Brooklyn Nets are now breathing right down the Raptors backs with Deron Williams back in the line-up, as well as a huge game on Monday between the Raptors and Nets in Brooklyn coming up. And dont sleep on the Washington Wizards and Chicago Bulls, either. Theyre both 20-20 and not going away. The Raptors had a chance to make hay against weak competition and didnt do it. Things get tougher and tougher now. Can they still win the Atlantic? Sure. Can they get the #3 seed? Sure. If, and its a big if, they play the way theyre capable of playing. Excellence is a habit, not an act. This is a nice test coming up and well all find out in the next few weeks what theyre all about.dddddddddddd I think they can do it. Its a good group of guys with enough talent that get more than a good share of the coaching and leadership they need to be successful. Theyve now put themselves into a "backs are against the wall" scenario and maybe thats what this team needs and I cant wait to find out. The middle part of the schedule is when the distancing starts to happen. Who will fight and contend and who will fade away and make plans for golf and the beach for mid-April? The Indiana Pacers and Miami Heat already know what their spring plans are, but the rest of the East is in complete flux. It is all starting to take shape now and the competition is on. 3. NICK YOUNG (Lakers): This guy can flat out score. He torched the Raptors on Sunday with some ridiculous shots and then drops 31 against a terrific Bulls defence on Monday. Hes one of those guys that will always have a job because its hard to find guys who can heat up like him and bring you back into a game. His defence and maturity are areas you wonder about sometimes, but he is a talented guy who has some high octane ability. He creates his own shot quite well and shoots it from distance effectively. Hes able to get to the foul line and has good creativity with his ball skills. He seems to wear out his welcome eventually, but while you have him, he gets you the numbers, thats for sure. 4. RICKY RUBIO (Timberwolves): Hes an exceptional defender and a wonderfully entertaining and creative passer and playmaker. With that said, for his game to truly get to the next level, he has to become a guy who is a consistent long range shooting threat in order to open up his impact in the screen and roll game and space the defence out, because youve got to come out and guard him rather than sag off him. Hes a point guard who can make all the plays with amazing vision and reflexes, yet for him to reach that upper tier, he needs to get his shot mechanics in order. He has great work habits, so Im sure hell pay the price. If he gets that together, he can make that next step. 5. JOAKIM NOAH (Bulls): You gotta love this guy. Hes already had three 20 and 15 games this season and had 17 and 21 against the Lakers last night in an OT win. Since the Bulls traded Luol Deng, hes been on a mission and hes playing angry and with amazing energy. Hes a winner in every sense and doesnt get enough credit for this, but hes a really good passer. Hes a smart player who makes the right play next in your offensive sequence. Hes got a bigger piece of the puzzle in the Bulls scheme now with Deng in Cleveland and hes responding. Noah is not a bad guy to bank on. And, by the way, Im happy for former Raptor DJ Augustin. Hes found a home with this Bulls team and playing pretty well. Hes a good guy who has the talent to help you win.Im glad its worked out for him. White NFL Jerseys Cheap Youth NFL Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys 2020 Stitched NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Autographed Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Discount Jerseys ' ' '