Kobe Bryant helped the Lakers put away the Denver Nuggets down the stretch, scoring 14 of his 33 points in the game’s final 8 1/2 minutes. The Lakers’ 104-97 victory over the Nuggets makes them 3-0 to start the season. They won despite shooting 37 percent.

Pau Gasol had 16 points and 16 rebounds and put the game into some perspective.

“I think we made it a little too hard on ourselves by not playing most of the game with the intensity and concentration required, but we pulled it out, showed some character and got a nice win,” he said. “We stayed in the game and we were able to win it at the end.”

Next: the Clippers on Wednesday at Staples Center, with a chance to go 4-0 to start a season for the first time since 2003-04, when they went 5-0 before their first loss.