Antawn Jamison getting comfortable with Lakers

Antawn Jamison led the Lakers in scoring on Friday night with a 33-point, 12-rebound performance in a 122-103 win over the Denver Nuggets.

Jamison initially struggled to contribute, but recently he has become a consistent force off the bench. The veteran forward credits Coach Mike D’Antoni and his fellow Lakers for helping him find his way.

“D’Antoni is doing a great job as far as just telling me, ‘be aggressive,’” Jamison said. “He’s given me that kind of confidence, and my teammates have been doing a great job as far as telling me to keep my head and go out there and compete.”

Nuggets Coach George Karl sees Jamison as an important piece for the Lakers moving forward.

“I think Jamison is going to play a lot of minutes for them. I think the way Mike likes to play, he needs a shooting forward out there and I think Jamison has done that for many years,” Karl said. “He knows how to get open and when he is making shots he is tough to cover.”

When the Lakers have other players contribute, outside of their stars, they can be very difficult to beat.

Jamison isn’t going to score 33 a night but if he can provide a reliable 15- to 20 points, the Lakers (8-8) should be able to climb well above .500.

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You can email Eric Pincus at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @EricPincus.