Derek Fisher scored a season-high 28 points, Jordan Farmar added 19, and the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers broke open a tight game late in the third quarter to beat the Denver Nuggets 116-99 on Monday night for their 18th win in 22 games.

Kobe Bryant, attempting only seven shots and making five, had 17 points and a season-high 11 assists and Lamar Odom added 15 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists for the Lakers (27-12), who outscored the Nuggets 31-8 to finish the third period and start the fourth for a 108-87 lead.

The Nuggets played the final 2½ quarters without Carmelo Anthony, who sprained his left ankle midway through the second period. Team spokesman Eric Sebastian said X-rays of Anthony's ankle were negative, and the 23-year-old forward was to be re-evaluated Tuesday in Denver.

Anthony, the NBA's fourth-leading scorer with a 25.8-point average, made a jump shot with 5:58 left before halftime before landing on Bryant's right foot. Anthony dropped to the floor, grabbing his ankle in pain. He left with 13 points and four rebounds.

Allen Iverson led Denver (24-16) with 24 points and seven assists. Linas Kleiza added 21 points, Marcus Camby had 18 points and 12 rebounds and Kenyon Martin added 16 points and 11 rebounds for the Nuggets (24-16), who lost their fourth straight road game.

With the Lakers up big, Coby Karl got into the game. The Lakers recalled the guard from the NBA Development League on Christmas Eve, and he ended up getting to play against the team coached by his father George Karl on Monday. Coby Karl ended up with one point.

The Lakers, already without center Andrew Bynum until at least the middle of March, got more bad news before the game, learning forward Trevor Ariza would be sidelined about eight weeks because of a broken bone in his right foot -- an injury he sustained Sunday in practice.

But they had more than enough to complete a sweep of the season series with the Nuggets, winning the three games by an average of 16.3 points per game while moving within one game of the Western Conference-leading Phoenix Suns.

Camby scored 10 points during a 22-10 run to start the third quarter, giving the Nuggets a 79-77 lead. But three 3-pointers by Fisher and another by Farmar sparked a 14-3 spurt that put the Lakers ahead 91-82 entering the final period.

A 17-6 run to open the fourth quarter gave the Lakers their 21-point lead.

Bryant didn't take a shot of any kind until making two free throws with 8:40 left before halftime, giving the Lakers a 49-35 lead.

Bryant took, and made, his first field-goal attempts on the next two Los Angeles possessions, making it 53-37. He wouldn't attempt another shot in the first half, which ended with the Lakers leading 67-57.

Kwame Brown, booed every time he touched the ball during a difficult third quarter in the Lakers' previous game, was cheered early in this one, especially after a pair of dunks in the opening 3½ minutes.

Brown, Bynum's replacement at center, had seven points and a season-high 11 rebounds.

It seems likely the Los Angeles Lakers are really going to miss Andrew Bynum. Their fans have made it clear they already do.

The man replacing him, meanwhile, might be wishing he didn't have to play in front of them again.

Kwame Brown, booed loudly in his first home game starting in Bynum's place, hopes an improved performance leads to better treatment from the Staples Center crowd and a victory for the Lakers on Monday as they meet the Denver Nuggets.

The 20-year-old Bynum was having a breakout season - a big reason why Los Angeles (26-12) is near the top of the Western Conference standings - before injuring his knee last Sunday. He is averaging 13.1 points, 10.1 rebounds and 2.1 blocks while leading the NBA in field-goal percentage (63.6), but is expected to miss about eight weeks due to a dislocated kneecap and a bone bruise.

The Lakers have struggled the past two games without him. They needed overtime last Monday to beat Seattle, which has lost 10 straight and owns the league's third-worst record. Three days later, Los Angeles had a seven-game win streak snapped and never led in a 106-98 home loss to Phoenix as Brown had a rough night.

The former No. 1 overall draft pick had eight points and six rebounds, but his third-quarter meltdown got Lakers fans riled up. Brown blew a dunk and committed four of his seven turnovers in that period before exiting the game for good with 3:50 left after committing his fifth foul.

"I thought it was terrible," Lakers star Kobe Bryant said of the fans' behavior. "If they want to do that, they can stay home. He's going to be our guy here for two months. He's going to do fine, he's going to play well the next game.

"Kwame's sensitive. You boo him, it's going to affect him. I told him I've got his back."

Brown would not speak to reporters after the game, but his teammates were supportive of the 6-foot-11 center who is averaging just 5.3 points and 5.1 rebounds.

"If you're here as a Laker fan, you should support your team through the good, the bad, the ugly," Jordan Farmar said. "That's what home court is all about - people get behind you, give you some energy, some spark."

Despite Brown's poor game, the boos had to come as a surprise to the Lakers considering how well they have played - they've won 17 of 21 and have the fourth-best record in the West.

Monday's matchup could help Brown get back in the right frame of mind because he might not be asked to do much offensively against Marcus Camby, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year who leads the league with 3.9 blocks per game. Plus, the Nuggets center is usually not a big threat offensively, scoring more than 10 points just 13 times all season.

Camby did have a double-double in his most recent game, but Denver (24-15) again relied on Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony as that duo scored 61 points in a 111-108 win over Minnesota on Saturday.

Iverson's fade-away jumper and two free throws in the final 30 seconds gave him 35 points and helped secure the victory for Denver, which improved to 6-2 this season when he scores at least 35.

However, it was another poor defensive showing by the Northwest Division-leading Nuggets, who gave up 60 second-half points to a Minnesota team averaging a Western Conference-worst 93.3. Denver has allowed an average of 111.3 points in its last six games.

"It was ugly, but we still got the win," Iverson said. "That's the only thing that mattered. We can work on all the negative things we did in the game. We can get into practice and work on those things and watch film, but I think we'd be feeling a lot worse if we didn't get the win."

The Lakers are the league's third highest-scoring team at 107.6 points per game.

Iverson scored a season-high 51 points in the last meeting Dec. 5, but the Nuggets lost for the second time in as many games against the Lakers this season, 111-107.

Denver has lost three straight away from home and is the only division leader with a sub-.500 road record (7-10).