Lakers take control of first-round series

Crunch time for the Los Angeles Lakers usually belongs to Kobe Bryant, Andrew Bynum, or Pau Gasol.

Not Sunday night in Denver.

Ramon Sessions and Steve Blake put the dagger in the Nuggets, swishing three-pointers in the final minute to lead the Lakers to a 92-88 comeback win that gave L.A. a three-games-to-one lead in their best-of-seven first-round series.

The Lakers can wrap it up Tuesday night when the Western Conference series shifts back to Southern California for Game 5.

Bryant (22 points, eight rebounds, six assists) and Bynum (19 points, seven boards and three blocks) had bounce-back games, and Gasol came up with huge plays at both ends as the Lakers controlled the tempo by grabbing 19 offensive rebounds, stymieing the faster, younger Nuggets who had blown them out in Game 3.

Baron Davis has torn the anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments in his right knee, a potentially career-threatening injury for the New York Knicks' 33-year-old point guard.

The Knicks said Davis will undergo surgery this week and is expected to be out a year after an MRI Monday also revealed a partial tear of the patella tendon.

Davis was hurt Sunday in the Knicks' 89-87 victory over Miami, falling to the court when his knee gave out as he dribbled upcourt on a fastbreak in the third quarter. Teammates quickly waved for help, and some players looked away as replays of the gruesome injury were shown on the overhead video board.

Davis was taken off the court on a stretcher.

Interim coach Mike Woodson said Monday he wasn't counting on Jeremy Lin to play Wednesday when the Knicks visit Miami for Game 5 of their first-round series.

"I'm going at this as if he's not going to play," Woodson said.

Lin has been playing in three-on-three workouts after April 2 surgery to repair torn cartilage in his left knee.

- Associated Press