Balanced Effort Gives Nuggets Reason to Believe They're Better

Nuggets 120, Lakers 101

DENVER, May 25 -- There was reserve guard J.R. Smith, a mercurial talent that makes a coach want to hug him one minute and choke him the next, dunking and making three-pointers; strutting and shouting. There was Chris Andersen, the eccentric, energetic reserve forward with the spiked Mohawk and colorfully tattooed arms, bouncing all over the court, snaring rebounds and blocking shots. And there was Chauncey Billups, the veteran point guard who brought a championship swagger from his days with the Detroit Pistons, attacking the basket and getting to the foul line.

The Denver Nuggets didn't have the usual contributions from Carmelo Anthony, the high-scoring forward who battled dehydration and a sore right ankle on Monday night. But they didn't necessarily need him in order to defeat the Los Angeles Lakers, 120-101, in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals and tie this best-of-seven series at 2.

Denver contended that it still was the better team, believing it gave away both of its losses -- on that failed inbounds pass with 30 seconds remaining in Game 1 and on that failed inbounds pass with 37 seconds remaining, and three costly technical fouls in Game 3. But the Nuggets finally supported their conviction, with spirited play from a second unit that outscored the Lakers' bench 42-24 and with total control of the rebounds. "There was an urgency to our performance, and I think the result showed in the scoreboard," Nuggets Coach George Karl said. "Our bench was the best it was in this series. And, we're going to need them two more times somewhere along the way."

Smith and Billups both led Denver with 24 points and Andersen had a playoff-career-high 14 rebounds, two blocked shots and added six points. Anthony had his worst night of this postseason, scoring just 15 points and missing 13 of his 16 shots. But Kenyon Martin added 13 points and 15 rebounds and Nene had 14 points and 13 rebounds, as the Nuggets took advantage of the fatigued, drained Lakers and outrebounded them, 58-40. "If we were tired, it was noticeable," Lakers Coach Phil Jackson said, "because their energy was better. That's not a very good excuse."

After Kobe Bryant scored 41 points in Game 3, including a late, go-ahead three-pointer, the Nuggets made it more difficult for him. Nuggets guard Dahntay Jones got under Bryant's skin in the third quarter when he stuck out his leg and tripped Bryant as he tried to attack the offensive glass. Jones wasn't assessed a foul and Bryant later complained to an official about the non-call.

After Bryant pleaded his case, Nuggets fans taunted him and Bryant defiantly nodded his head. He finished with a hard-earned 34 points after a 13-point fourth-quarter outburst. Asked if he got tripped after the game, Bryant joked, "No, I just fell on my face for no reason. I'm a klutz."

Pau Gasol had 21 points and Andrew Bynum had 14, but they could not keep the Lakers from avoiding their worst playoff loss since Game 6 of the NBA Finals against Boston last season. Jackson has often stressed that this isn't the same Nuggets team that they swept in the first round last season. Swapping Allen Iverson for Billups is the most noticeable change, with the Denver native having a storybook homecoming in his second stint with the team. The Nuggets have also benefited from a much more confident Anthony and a better commitment to defense. Karl said he studied film of the Celtics' six-game victory over the Lakers in the Finals to determine the best way to defend them. The Nuggets have tried to cut off Bryant's driving lanes with Nene, Martin and Andersen serving as deterrents.

It all came together as a dizzying force in Game 4, with Smith surpassing his scoring total from the first three games by three points and punctuating his night with back-to-back three-pointers and a confident strut after giving Denver a 17-point lead with 1 minute 40 seconds remaining. "I was really down on myself," said Smith, who had four three-pointers. "Fortunately for me, I've got great teammates and great coaches who want to stay in the gym with me, work on my game and converse with me on what I'm doing wrong. And it was a tough time, but fortunately, thankfully, I'm out of it."

Now that this has become a best-of-three series, Billups said he realizes the Nuggets are two wins from disrupting the highly-anticipated Finals matchup between Bryant and Cleveland's LeBron James. "I'm sure the world does want Cleveland and the Lakers," Billups said. "You've got the two best players in the world, a chance to see them play in a best-of-seven series. I don't want to see it. And I'm trying my best to make sure that doesn't happen. It's tough, but we're trying our best."