Despite owning the third-best record in the Western Conference, the Denver Nuggets have reason to be concerned about their play of late. That's especially true with the NBA's top team coming to town.

The Nuggets hope to build off their first victory in almost a week while trying to avoid a sixth straight loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night.

After giving up an average of 116.7 points during its three-game losing streak, Denver (38-20) still found little to enjoy about a 110-109 home victory over Atlanta on Wednesday night to snap the skid.

Chauncey Billups scored a season-high 33 points and Carmelo Anthony added 23 with 10 rebounds for the Nuggets, who shot 50.6 percent, but nearly allowed the Hawks to erase an eight-point deficit in the final 90 seconds.

"When you lose three games in a row, any kind of win is great,'' said Billups, who rebounded after being held to a season-low three points in an embarrassing 114-76 home loss to Boston on Monday. "But I think the disappointment that we have in the way that we finished the game is just a sign of how good of a team that we are: We're happy with the win, but we're not happy with how we finished the game.''

Billups and the Nuggets know that's the proper frame of mind to be in as they try to avoid a third straight loss this season to Los Angeles (48-10), which beat Phoenix 132-106 at home Thursday for its sixth consecutive victory.

Despite playing with a bruised knee, the Nuggets can use another strong effort from Anthony, who is averaging 24.7 points in his last three games. The All-Star forward, though, has been held to 23 combined points in both losses to the Lakers.

While Denver has a 2 1/2-game lead over Portland in the Northwest Division, the Nuggets are 10 games behind the Lakers, who own the NBA's best record.

Denver won 115-111 on April 9, 2007, for its most recent victory in the series with the Lakers, who have won the last two played at the Pepsi Center. Los Angeles is averaging 112.4 points in the last five games against Denver while holding the Nuggets under 100 four times in that span.

Kobe Bryant had 33 points in Los Angeles' 104-97 win at Denver on Nov. 1, and added 29 in a 104-90 home victory on Nov. 21.

Lamar Odom had 23 points and Bryant added 22 on Thursday as the Lakers scored 70 first-half points and shot 57.4 percent against the Suns, who were minus Steve Nash and All-Star Amare Stoudemire do to injuries.

"It is kind of one of those things where we kind of take the night off," said Bryant, who averaged 33.3 points in his previous four games. "I wanted to make sure from the jump that we didn't.''

Odom had nine rebounds against the Suns, giving him 129 over his last nine games for the best rebounding stretch of his career. He is averaging 16.9 points and 12.9 boards in 12 games since replacing the injured Andrew Bynum in the Lakers' starting lineup.