Lakers have higher power

Not much stood in the way of the Lakers, or a possible sweep, as their one-sided series against the rough-and-grumble Denver Nuggets continued with a 102-84 Game 3 victory Saturday at Pepsi Center.

The Lakers braced for the worst -- a barrage of three-pointers, alley-oop dunks and fastbreak mayhem from a desperate team -- but the Nuggets never came close to delivering any of the above, conceding meekly as the Lakers took a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. Game 4 is Monday in Denver.

Kobe Bryant led a balanced attack with 22 points, eight assists and seven rebounds, and the Lakers moved within a victory of a first-round graduation that had eluded them since 2004. Along those lines, they could sweep a best-of-seven series for the first time since the 2002 NBA Finals against New Jersey.

If "Remember Phoenix!" was their unofficial rallying cry before Game 3, "Don't Make History!" might be the Lakers' theme for Game 4. An NBA team has never lost a series after leading, 3-0. Eighty-three teams have successfully advanced under such circumstances.

Unlike the 3-1 lead they held over Phoenix two years ago, the Lakers stepped forward against Denver, putting enough points on the board while holding the Nuggets to more than 26 below their regular-season average.

"I think it shows a lot of maturity on our part," Bryant said.

The Nuggets didn't help themselves by missing numerous open looks, shooting a dreadful 37.2%, continuing to rack up technical fouls and flagrant fouls, and laying the groundwork for an unhappy off-season that could begin as early as Monday.

Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony shot a combined 10 for 38, a recipe for debacle in the Nuggets' two-pronged approach. Anthony took it a step further after the game, calling out the entire team.

"We quit. Everybody," Anthony said. "From the coaches to the players, we quit. And I said it."

The Lakers won't argue.

Their locker room was understandably more cheerful, with "13 To Go" scribbled on their whiteboard, a reference to the victories still needed to win the franchise's 15th NBA championship.

If Bryant was individually brilliant with his 49-point, 10-assist effort in Game 2, he was one of many who kept the ball moving Saturday.

The Lakers had 26 assists and only eight turnovers. Five Lakers scored in double figures and two others had nine points.