LOS ANGELES -- Coming into Sunday as the NBA's last winless team at 0-5, the Los Angeles Lakers finally broke through with a 121-110 decision over the Denver Nuggets, giving first-year coach Darvin Ham the first victory on his résumé.
"Tonight, we needed to prove something to ourselves," Ham said afterward. "Not to the world. Not to the media. We had to prove it to ourselves, and I felt great about how we responded."
Ham's postgame news conference was delayed to accommodate a wardrobe change. His players baptized Ham's first win by giving him a water bottle and ice bucket drenching.