Hungry Lakers have a lot on plate

Finally, a game.

The Lakers haven’t played since Tuesday, have heard all about the Denver Nuggets since Wednesday, and now actually face them today in Game 1 of the playoffs’ first round.

It’ll be fast and furious, the Nuggets arriving at Staples Center with their fastbreaks and free spirits, while the Lakers counter with an underrated offense that quietly finished fourth in the league in scoring, only two spots behind Denver.

Allen Iverson will score, often, as will Carmelo Anthony, but the Lakers will gladly surrender the 52.1 points they averaged together as long as no one else joins the Nuggets’ party.

“Usually in this game, you don’t want the third person to get involved,” Coach Phil Jackson said. “If two people supply 50-60 points, you don’t want another person to contribute 20 points.”

All around their practice facility, there’s a different vibe, the Lakers’ demeanor tangibly more serious as a top-seeded favorite than it was as a loose and limber seventh-seeded team the previous two years.

Then again, loose and limber didn’t work so well in a five-game loss to Phoenix last season, so a stern approach might be more fruitful as the Lakers close the book on their 82-game success story.

“We had a great year,” forward Lamar Odom said. “Now that year’s over.”

This could also mark a new beginning for Kobe Bryant, who hasn’t been on the winning side in a playoff series since the 2004 Western Conference finals.

The Lakers were a bland 121-125 the previous three regular seasons, a fact that tugged undeniably at Bryant after their meek exit against the Suns last season.

He was asked Saturday if he was hungry to win a playoff series.

“I’ve been waiting to eat for a while,” he said. “The table’s set. I’ll sit down at the dinner table and I’ve got to finish my dinner.”

In other news, Andrew Bynum isn’t day to day or even week to week. He’s more series to series.

Sidelined since Jan. 13 because of a left-knee injury, Bynum will sit out the first round.

“I’d say it’s fair to say that,” Jackson said.

Jackson wouldn’t say whether Trevor Ariza was out for the series, but it was doubtful the defensive-minded forward would play against Denver. Ariza has been out since Jan. 20 because of a broken bone in his right foot.

“I’m not ruling out Trevor,” Jackson said. “He’s going to have to do some things, but this is a pretty long series and we have some games in between.”

Neither Bynum nor Ariza practiced Saturday.

Defensively, Bryant will guard Iverson and Vladimir Radmanovic will try to stop Anthony. The Lakers are also cognizant of Nuggets three-point ace J.R. Smith, who has averaged 15.7 points and shot 40.9% from three-point range since the All-Star break.

The Lakers tried to simulate Smith’s unpredictable shot selection by having Coby Karl fire at will in Saturday’s scrimmage. Karl even launched a 28-footer, which, well, might be a little short by some Nuggets’ standards.

“This team really likes to get up and down. They take quick shots,” Odom said. “We’re going to have to execute our offense and keep the floor balanced so we can get back on defense.”

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Karl was back with the Lakers after a two-week stint with their Development League affiliate, the D-Fenders.

The D-Fenders were eliminated from the playoffs Friday night in Boise, Idaho, and Karl flew back to Los Angeles on Saturday morning.

“I barely slept at all,” he said.

Karl wasn’t sure how much he would talk to his father, Nuggets Coach George Karl, during the first round.

“It’s probably going to be up to him because I’ve kind of got all my basketball advice from him my whole life,” Karl said. “If he’s going to be that serious about it, then I understand because I know he respects players that do that, that keep it all business during a series. I’m sure we’ll talk . . . briefly.”

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George Karl had an interesting observation of the Lakers, and Jackson, this season.

“This is the most freedom I’ve ever seen Phil Jackson give to his team,” he told reporters in Denver. “They shoot threes, they kind of have crazy shot selection at times, Kobe has a lot of freedom to do what he wants in the first seven to 10 seconds of the shot clock.”

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Bresnahan’s take

Staff writer Mike Bresnahan looks to tie up some loose ends

on the days of Lakers playoff games:

Q&A; of the day

Question: Who’s on the Lakers’ playoff roster? Can they carry more than 12 players? If you can clarify, I’d appreciate it.

--Steve Lee

Answer: Just like the regular season, teams are allowed to submit a 12-man roster on a game-by-game basis in the playoffs. The Lakers can activate 12 of their 15 players on game day, submitting their game roster to officials an hour before tipoff.

Your assistants, please

How would Lakers assistant coach Jim Cleamons stop prolific Denver scorers Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony?

“We’ll try and kidnap them off the bus,” he said, smiling. “They are the ringleaders. They’re going to get shots. They’re going to get touches. Weather the storm if they are hot and realize they’re going to make some shots, but don’t celebrate when they miss a couple shots because the tide will turn very quickly on you.”

This date in Lakers playoff history

The Lakers unfurled their second-highest playoff outburst of the Showtime era, defeating Phoenix, 147-130, in Game 2 of the first round in 1985. The Lakers would go on to beat Boston in the NBA Finals for the first time, ending a string of eight unsuccessful ventures against the Celtics in the Finals.

Final thought

If the Lakers don’t play defense, they could be in for a bigger challenge than expected. If they do defend well, Game 1 should be a breeze.