DENVER — Kobe Bryant scored 33 points and the Los Angeles Lakers nearly became the first team in three years to hold Carmelo Anthony to single digits in a 104-97 win over the Denver Nuggets tonight.

Coming off a two-game suspension, Anthony scored 11 of his 13 points in the fourth quarter. He made two 3-pointers with under a minute left.

Anthony was held to a single bucket until sinking consecutive baskets to help the Nuggets cut it to 93-91 with 4 minutes left. He fired up an airball from beyond the arc on Denver's next possession, and Bryant responded with a basket at the other end.

The Nuggets (1-2) never got closer as the Lakers, who trailed most of the game before taking control in the fourth quarter, improved to 3-0.

Anthony Carter's 20 points led the Nuggets, who also got 18 points from Kenyon Martin before he departed in the second half with a pulled left hamstring. (Carter is a University of Hawai'i alum.)

Anthony nearly saw his NBA-best streak of consecutive games in double figures come to a halt at 207. Anthony hasn't been held below 10 points since Nov. 28, 2005, when he played just 1½ minutes against New Jersey before leaving with a sprained ankle after scoring just two points.

His franchise-record streak makes him the most consistent offensive player in the NBA since 2005.

That was of little consolation for a Nuggets team still smarting over getting swept by the Lakers in the playoffs six months ago following a 50-win season.

Anthony, who sat out the first two games of the season as punishment for his April 14 arrest on a drunken driving charge, was scoreless in the first half, missing all five of his shots from the floor and four from the stripe.

He did, however, have a nifty assist on Carter's 3-pointer that ignited a 14-7 run that gave Denver a 52-46 halftime lead.

Anthony's first shot to fall was a 17-foot jumper with 9:39 left in the third quarter, and Allen Iverson followed with a 3-pointer to give Denver a 63-54 lead.

Another sweet assist from Anthony resulted in Iverson's 3 that put the Nuggets ahead 70-62, but the Lakers responded with a 14-6 run to tie it at 76 heading into the fourth quarter.