Nuggets forward Chris Andersen has made it clear that he hopes to re-sign with the club.

Andersen, coming off a two-year ban due to drug problems, was given a chance by Denver this season.

"Re-signing me," Andersen said when asked about the team's next step.

He made just $998,398 this year.

"What better place to play than at home?" Andersen said. "I love this city, I love this state. I appreciate everybody in the whole town for backing us and helping us prove others wrong."

Andersen is expected to earn a multiyear year in the neighborhood of the $5.585 mid-level exception.

Despite losing to the Lakers in six games, Kenyon Martin believes that the Nuggets are a better team than the Western Conference Champions.

"I think we're better than them, actually, to be honest," Martin said after Friday's season-ending loss. "But we didn't prove that. That's obvious, cause they're moving on and we're not. But I think we have a better team than they do.

"Some people are going to say maybe the experience of them getting to the Finals last year was a deciding factor. But I'm proud of these guys in this locker room. And I think as a whole, our team is better than their team."

Nuggets coach George Karl doesn't think that anyone could have covered Kobe Bryant during stretches of Friday night's Game 6.

"No. 24 had a great five minutes at the end of the (first half) that no one in basketball could have covered him," Karl told the Denver Post.

"He made about four shots in that stretch that I think Jesus would have had trouble covering. And those took the game from a manageable game to 13 (points)."

Nuggets forward Nene suffered a fractured left forearm in the fourth quarter of the team's Game 6 loss to the Lakers.

Nene wouldn't talk to the media about the injury, which appeared to occur with a little more than six minutes left to play in game.

The Nuggets were eliminated by the Lakers on Friday night, but Chauncey Billups believes the best is still coming for the club.

"Obviously (Friday) is a tough day in losing," Billups said after the 119-92 loss. "But it's been absolutely the best year I've been a part of, outside of winning the championship in '04. Me coming home. Me being a proud Denver kid all my life. Me being able to help this team kind of turn that corner. It's just been awesome. I never would have imagined it."

Billups came to the Nuggets on Nov. 3 in the blockbuster trade that sent Allen Iverson to the Pistons.

"When we get a chance to sit back and reflect and look on the year, it was a historical year for us," Billups said. "And it wasn't just me, what I brought to the table. It was everybody as a unit. I think we grew up this year together.

"I think the culture has been changed in our locker room. It's something that they needed in the worst way before the season started. I think the proper adjustments have been made to try and make a run every single year now."

Nuggets coach George Karl says that he won't change the way his club plays even though they are facing elimination in Game 6.

"No, I mean there's a different way of handling emotional, passionate, intense players," Karl said, according to the Associated Press. "We have some guys who are emotional. Maybe a little too emotional. But for me, I'm not going to tell them to stop that because I think that stops them from becoming a competitor.

"Right now, we're competing on the best stage on a pretty good level. I think the Lakers know we're there."

Denver has been whistled for 11 technical fouls in the Western Conference Finals against Los Angeles, but Karl said on Thursday that he wouldn't blame the officials for their 3-2 series deficit.

"We're hoping and we believe that the officiating won't be a problem," Karl added. "When you're getting hit in the back of the head, knocked on your (backside), you're human beings; you react to people of authority. The referees are the ones that have the authority and control the game the way they want to control it."

Phil Jackson and the Lakers were fined $25k apiece as a punishment for his comments regarding the officiating in Game 4.

At least one member of the Nuggets believed those comments factored into how Game 5 was called.

"The Lakers paid $50,000 to win that game. They got their money's worth," said a Denver player, not wanting to be identified for fear of retribution from the league.

With Kobe Bryant luring double coverage then passing to Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol, the Lakers owned the fourth quarter in a 103-94 win Wednesday night that gave them a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference finals, according to an Associated Press report.

Bryant scored 22 points, Odom had 19 points and 14 rebounds, and Gasol added 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Game 6 is Friday in Denver, where the Lakers lost Game 4 by 19 points.

Nuggets coach George Karl believes that a majority of the pressure is on the Lakers heading into Wednesday's pivotal Game 5.

"We right now have, I think, made somewhat of a move. The challenge then is [for the Lakers] to try to figure us out a little bit more," Karl said on Tuesday.

"I think we won the energy game [Monday] night. Can we win the energy game down there? That would be a big step toward getting a win."

With the series tied at two games apiece, the Western Conference Finals is now a three-game series. That means Denver must win at least one game in Los Angeles.

"We've still got to win out there," Kenyon Martin said. "We need to win a game out there and there's no better game than the fifth one."

Dahntay Jones retroactively received a flagrant-1 foul for tripping Kobe Bryant during the third quarter of Game 4.

Phil Jackson complained about Jones' "unacceptable defense, tripping guys and playing unsportsmanlike basketball'' during a rant about the officiating.