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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
DENVER (AP) -- A limping Shaq is better than no Shaq at all.
Shaquille O'Neal, playing with a sore hamstring, had 40 points,
nine rebounds and seven assists as the Los Angeles Lakers won their
19th straight game, 118-108 over the Denver Nuggets on Monday
night.
|  | | Popeye Jones tries, unsuccessfully, to contain the Lakers' Shaquille O'Neal. |
"I've been feeling it since the last Sunday, but I sucked it up
and I played," O'Neal said. "I have heart. I'm on a mission."
Apparently, so are the Lakers, whose winning streak is the
third-best in NBA history and the longest since the Chicago Bulls
had an 18-game streak end against Denver on Feb. 4, 1996.
Chicago went on to win the NBA title that season.
"There's an intrigue about playing this string out," said
Lakers coach Phil Jackson, who coached that Bulls team. "The
motivational level will happen in another space and another time.
Right now, it's just kind of intriguing to go through it and
continue on."
With a victory Thursday night in Washington, Los Angeles can tie
the 1970-71 Milwaukee Bucks for the second-longest streak. The
1971-72 Lakers hold the league record of 33 straight.
"This is nice, but I don't think they pass out anything for
teams that win 19 in a row," said Ron Harper. "You only think
about moving on."
The Nuggets, who have lost six in a row, made things interesting
as NBA commissioner David Stern looked on. Denver trailed by 11
with 4:05 remaining but scored the next six points to close to
107-102 with 2:33 left.
O'Neal responded with two free throws, and Denver's Antonio
McDyess was called for an offensive foul. O'Neal made two more free
throws, prompting a fan to say, "Hack-a-Shaq don't work no more."
O'Neal, shooting 50 percent from the line, hit his last seven
free throws and finished the night 12-for-16. Denver never got
within eight the rest of the way.
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Shaq plays through pain
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DENVER -- In what teammate Glen Rice calls a sign of
maturity, Los Angeles star Shaquille O'Neal is playing through pain
while the Lakers continue to cripple opponents.
O'Neal started feeling soreness in his right hamstring March 5
against Miami but has shown few ill effects from the injury. He has
averaged more than 42 points in the four games since.
"The big fella, he amazes me at every turn," Rice said Monday.
"To be able to go gut it out and put up the performance he did
tonight just shows how much he's grown."
O'Neal had 40 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in a
118-108 victory over the Nuggets on Monday night. He played all but
four minutes of the game.
"If I can walk or jog, I can play," O'Neal said. "Once I got
warm, it was OK. I'll get some acupuncture (back in Los Angeles)
and get rid of it. I've always been a connoisseur of ancient
medicine."
O'Neal will have to delay acupuncture until Los Angeles finishes
its five-game road trip March 20. Until then, he plans to take the
next two days off and get thorough massages.
He said he expects to play Thursday at Washington when Los
Angeles goes after its 20th straight victory.
"I have heart," O'Neal said. "I'm on a mission."
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"I'm known to hit those in crunch time," O'Neal said with a
smirk. "I'm just not known as an 85 percent free throw shooter,
but I'm known to hit at least one in crunch time."
Kobe Bryant, coming off a career-high 40 points in Sunday's
three-point win over Sacramento, scored 22, and Glen Rice added 20
for Los Angeles, which last lost Feb. 1 at San Antonio.
Reserve Chris Gatling had 25 points to lead six Denver players
in double figures. Former Los Angeles point guard Nick Van Exel
finished with 17 points and 15 assists.
Gatling was reluctantly complimentary toward the 7-foot-1,
315-pound O'Neal and the Lakers.
"He's just a bully. That's all it is," Gatling said. "He just
bullies his way in there, and who's going to stop him? I don't
think he can get any better unless he hits all his free throws and
starts shooting 3s. He's one of the league's best players, if not
the best."
Aside from O'Neal's perseverance, one of the game's highlights
came early in the fourth quarter when Nuggets guard Chris Herren
lost his left shoe while running back on defense. The Lakers
committed a turnover, and Herren hit a 3-pointer to pull Denver to
88-87 with 10:50 remaining.
Herren later hit a free throw keep the Nuggets within three with
8:12 left, but Brian Shaw helped the Lakers pull away with two
3-pointers in a three-minute span.
"Don't they have cable here?" said Shaw, a career 30 percent
3-point shooter. "I can shoot the 3-pointer. I always have."
Denver trailed by 10 early in the second half but three times
cut the lead to a point. Bryant, O'Neal and Rice kept the Nuggets
at bay, combining for Los Angeles' last 26 points of the third
quarter as the Lakers took a six-point lead into the fourth.
Game notes
Denver's George McCloud served a one-game suspension for a
post-game scuffle with former teammate and current Orlando swingman
Ron Mercer. ... The Nuggets have had three losing streaks of at
least five games this season. ... The Lakers allowed more than 100
points for only the third time during their winning streak. ... Ten
of the Lakers' 19 straight wins have come on the road. ... Los
Angeles started a five-game road trip. ... Lakers coach Phil
Jackson moved within two victories of 600 for his career. ...
Herren had 12 points for his first career double-figure game.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
LA Lakers Clubhouse
Denver Clubhouse
RECAPS
Detroit 124
Boston 115
Utah 87
Chicago 79
LA Lakers 118
Denver 108
Seattle 113
Vancouver 103
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Shaq says he always steps up his game in the playoffs.
wav: 112 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Chris Gatling says only Shaq can stop himself.
wav: 146 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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