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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Better forget the Hack-a-Shaq strategy in the
playoffs.
The big man is making his free throws.
|  | | Los Angeles' Derek Fisher, right, tries to reel in a loose ball after hitting the floor with Denver's Terry Davis. |
Shaquille O'Neal made 13 foul shots without a miss in scoring 33
points, and also had 13 rebounds Tuesday night as the Los Angeles
Lakers beat undermanned Denver 108-91 to clinch the Pacific
Division title.
O'Neal has made 159 of 235 free throws in the last 15 games
(67.7 percent), raising his season percentage to 51.3.
"That's great, hard work pays off, and he's been working real
hard at it," teammate Brian Shaw said of O'Neal's effort against
the Nuggets.
O'Neal led the Lakers in scoring in each of their final 17
games. He scored 31 or more points in the last 11, and grabbed 10
or more rebounds in the last 17.
O'Neal said he didn't surprise himself with his performance at
the foul line.
"I'm just glad we won the game," he said. "I've put in a lot
of hard work, I've been shooting them with a lot of rhythm. I was
concentrating in my pre-playoff mode."
The defending NBA champion Lakers will take a season-long
eight-game winning streak into the playoffs, which begin this
weekend, as well as the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference,
behind the San Antonio Spurs.
The Lakers will face slumping Portland, seeded seventh in the
West, in the first round of the playoffs in a rematch of the conference finals of last year.
The Lakers completed the regular season with a 56-26 record, 11
games behind their 67-15 mark of a year ago, when they won their
first championship in 12 years.
But they have plenty of momentum entering the postseason.
"We feel fortunate we had the opportunity to come into this
position where we have home court, finish second in the conference,
first in our division," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. "The
responsibility was up to us to do it at the end of the season."
Sacramento could finish with the same record as Los Angeles
should it beat Denver in its finale Wednesday night, but the Lakers
are division champions because they won the season series with the
Kings 3-1.
Kobe Bryant had 26 points for the Lakers despite sitting out the
fourth quarter. O'Neal left for good with 6:08 to play and the
Lakers leading 96-79.
"It feels good being that you have the home-court advantage
against every opponent except for San Antonio," Bryant said. "We
want every title, the title that we want is at the end, though."
Raef LaFrentz led the Nuggets with 22 points and 13 rebounds.
Voshon Lenard added 20 points, and Anthony Goldwire scored a
season-high 18.
The Nuggets (39-42) played without Antonio McDyess, Nick Van
Exel and Kevin Willis, all sidelined with injuries.
"We are overmatched when we play them with everybody healthy,"
Nuggets coach Dan Issel said. "We kept it close for a while. They
came out in the third quarter and really picked up their defense.
We had a hard time scoring in the third quarter."
The Lakers took command at the end of the second quarter and
beginning of the third, outscoring Denver 25-5 for a 73-53 lead.
The Nuggets scored the last eight points of the third period to
close to 11 points, but that was as close as they would get
until the outcome had been decided.
O'Neal scored the Lakers' first 10 points of the fourth quarter
as Los Angeles extended its lead to 90-75.
The Nuggets made five 3-point shots in the first quarter to help
them take a 31-28 lead. LaFrentz, the only Denver starter averaging
in double figures (12.6 points), had two 3-pointers and 13 points
in the period.
It was 48-all when the game turned.
First, Mike Penberthy scored five points to spark a 9-3 Los
Angeles run to finish the first half, giving the Lakers a 57-51
lead.
Then, Bryant scored eight points as part of a 16-2 spurt to
start the third period.
Game notes
Lakers forward Horace Grant sat out the game because of
tendinitis in his left knee. ... The Lakers' eight-game winning
streak to end the season is the longest in franchise history. The
previous record was six to end the 1984-85 season. ... The Lakers
have won 10 consecutive home games against the Nuggets. ... The Lakers
scored 100 or more points in their final seven games. ... McDyess,
averaging 20.8 points and 12.1 rebounds, has a dislocated left
kneecap; Van Exel, averaging 17.7 points and 8.5 assists, has a
lower back strain, and Willis, averaging 9.1 points, has a jammed
thumb. ... Rookie Denver center Dan McClintock had eight points and
eight rebounds in his first NBA start before fouling out with 10:51
to play. ... The Lakers made 30 of 34 free throws.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Denver Clubhouse
LA Lakers Clubhouse
RECAPS
Toronto 94
Detroit 92
Atlanta 122
Washington 119
Miami 91
Milwaukee 89
Chicago 100
New Jersey 94
Philadelphia 111
Indiana 105
Houston 114
Minnesota 87
Utah 97
LA Clippers 92
San Antonio 99
Portland 93
LA Lakers 108
Denver 91
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