LOS ANGELES – Kobe Bryant proved to be a lucky charm since his first appearance at the Staples Center of the season coincided with the first home win of the LeBron James era of the Los Angeles Lakers.

James was powerful and efficient, scoring a triple-double with 28 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds – his first with the Lakers – while Los Angeles won 121-114 over the unbeaten Nuggets under Bryant's eyes .

"I did not have the opportunity to talk with him, but I absolutely noticed him sitting on the baseline," James said. "A great Laker of all time, (with) what he has done for this franchise over the more than 20 years he has spent here, it's wonderful for me to compete with him all these years and being able to share a jersey for him, taking the time to watch us play tonight was pretty cool. "

Denver led by eight midway through the final period, but Lance Stephenson's three consecutive points sparked a dramatic revival that reversed the shock. James then came back to get the lead with a thunderclap at 3:29 of the fourth quarter, and the Lakers would never give up their advantage.

The result was a relief for the Los Angeles crowd, after his losses in Houston in the famous fight match and in San Antonio in an overtime thriller.

After moving to 0-3 to start life as a Laker, James has now helped orchestrate consecutive victories of consecutive nights, having stopped the brief loss lost to the Suns in Phoenix on Wednesday.

Head coach Luke Walton admitted that Bryant's presence inspired his group.

"Yes, that's obvious," Walton said when asked if there was fresh energy at the Staples Center once Bryant arrived. "I think everyone is excited, not just the staff, but the players, all the members of the Laker family – it's an important part of this organization, so I think when it's in the building, he brings a little more. "

Despite another productive performance by Nikola Jokic, an influential man like Nikola Jokic, the Lakers were able to use their accelerated approach to achieve a positive effect and saw significant contributions from Kyle Kuzma (22 points) and JaVale McGee (21 points). ). Jokic scored 24 goals for Denver, while Jamal Murray added 22.

It was Rajon Rondo's last game of suspension for his role in the fight against the Rockets, while Brandon Ingram is banned for one more game, the Lakers visit to San Antonio on Saturday.

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Follow Martin Rogers on Twitter @RogersJourno.