Nuggets forwards Joffrey Lauvergne, left, and Axel Toupane, right, defend as Lakers forward Brandon Bass goes to the rim during the first half of Friday’s game. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
LOS ANGELES — Prior to Friday night’s game at the Staples Center, the Lakers radio feed was being piped into the visitor’s locker room, which, that night, was the Nuggets locker room. During the broadcast they explained away the Nuggets’ win over Philadelphia on Wednesday as blah between two teams “going nowhere.”
That caught the ears of Nuggets coach Michael Malone, perked them up, and became a phrase that further motivated the already always-motivated Malone to want to get the win over the Lakers even more.
“Going nowhere?” Malone said. “No, we’re improving.”
Then his team, now 4 1/2 games out of a playoff spot in the Western Conference, went out and trounced the 15-win Lakers, 116-105.
“I loved how we played,” Malone said. “I thought our defense was pretty good for the most part; we had some lapses. And then I really liked the fact that we are playing for each other. That’s so important going into these last nine, playing for each other on both ends of the floor. It’s another good road win for us, and we have another tough one here on Easter Sunday.”
Mudiay vs. Russell. Round four of the Emmanuel Mudiay vs. D’Angelo Russell rivalry — which was really round three because an injured Mudiay missed the Dec. 22 matchup — won’t go down as a classic. Russell went down with a sprained ankle, and Mudiay played just 21 minutes in the contest. But Nuggets coach Michael Malone knows what’s brewing between the best point guards of the 2015 draft class.
“I could tell ever since draft night when (Russell) went before Emmanuel that that’s probably going to be a competitive rivalry for many, many years.” Malone said. “And I think Emmanuel is a competitor no matter who he’s playing against, but anytime you get a chance to go against D’Angelo Russell, a guy that was taken ahead of him, his antennas were up a little bit. They are going to go after each other.”
Both have seen gains in their game as the season has worn on. Before Friday’s game, Russell had scored 20 points in seven of his previous 10 games. Mudiay, meanwhile, is averaging 16.8 points per game in March.
“Both of those young men have really made improvements over the course of the year,” Malone said. “And that’s what you want to see as a young team with young players, are your players getting better? Are they developing? Obviously, how (Lakers coach) Byron (Scott) does it is his own way and how I do it is my own way. But the bottom line is the guys have improved…”
Faried doesn’t play. Kenneth Faried was available to play, but didn’t on Friday night against the Lakers. He did suit up after going through shootaround in the morning. His next chance to play will be on Sunday when the Nuggets face the L.A. Clippers at the Staples Center.
Follow Chris Dempsey on Twitter @dempseypost or email him at cdempsey@denverpost.com
