The Nuggets were led by Carmelo Anthony’s 25 points in 30 minutes. J.R. Smith had 20 points off the bench in 23 minutes, while rookie point guard Ty Lawson chipped in with 13 points and six assists.

Kobe Bryant was uncharacteristically quiet for the Lakers. In 34 minutes of action, Bryant had 19 points, three rebounds, two assists and four turnovers.

For the Lakers, they can point to the fact that Pau Gasol is still out injured as a reason why they can still be confident against the Nuggets. That said, to say that the Nuggets will be the biggest challenge for the Lakers on their way to the 2010 NBA Finals wouldn’t be too much of a stretch.

Carmelo Anthony - Denver Nuggets (Image: Zuma Press)

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Nuggets Destroy Lakers in Denver

Anthony finished the game with 41 points — 19 of which were scored in the fourth quarter. His big finish allowed the Nuggets to outscore the Blazers in the fourth 35-27 to win by a final score of 97-94. Anthony shot 11-of-21 from the field and 18-of-19 from the line. He also had six rebounds three assists and one steal.

Chauncey Billups was also big for the Nuggets, scoring 22 points, dishing out six assists and pulling down four rebounds. The Blazers were led by Brandon Roy’s 30 points, while Rudy Fernandez chipped in 22 points off the bench.

The Nuggets next play the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday, while the Blazers travel to Houston to play the Rockets on Saturday.

Carmelo Anthony - Denver Nuggets (Image: Zuma Press)

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Carmelo Anthony Carries Nuggets to 2-0 Start

Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol Lead the Lakers (Image: Zuma Press)

The Lakers and Nuggets were actually tied after the first, second and third quarters, however L.A. was able to get it rolling in the fourth. Off the bench, Odom had 19 points, 14 rebounds, four blocks and three assists, while Pau Gasol poured in 14 points, ten rebounds, five blocks, four assists and two steals. Although Bryant had seven turnovers and missed 5-of-6 three-pointers, he still managed to score 22 points, dish out eight assists and grab five rebounds.

For the Nuggets, they now find themselves trailing 2-3 in this best of seven series. Carmelo Anthony scored 31 points but he connected on just 9-of-23 field goals. No one else on Denver scored more than 12 points.

Game 6 will be played on Friday in Denver. The Nuggets will either win or stay home for the summer.

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Odom, Gasol Lead Lakers over Nuggets

The Lakers were trailing by ten points with three minutes remaining and looked capable of making a run. However, J.R. Smith nailed a pair of three-pointers soon after to pull out the win for Denver.

J.R. Smith was big for the Nuggets in Game 4 (Image: Zuma Press)

Smith and Chauncey Billups ended up leading the Nuggets in scoring on the night with 24 points apiece. Carmelo Anthony scored 15 points but struggled — hitting just 3-of-16 shots from the field. The Nuggets got double-doubles from Kenyon Martin and Nene, with Martin going for 13 points and 15 rebounds and Nene finishing with 14 points and 13 rebounds.

Los Angeles was led by the dynamic duo of Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol. Bryant had 34 points, seven rebounds and five assists, while Gasol had 21 points, ten rebounds, four assists and three blocks.

With the series now tied 2-2, Game 5 in Los Angeles will be pivotal. The contest will be played on Wednesday at 9 PM EST.

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Nuggets Run Past Lakers, Tie Series

Kobe Bryant on his way to the Finals? (Image: Newscom)

Down by eight points entering the fourth quarter, the Lakers played championship level basketball down the stretch to get the win. Kobe Bryant hit a number of big shots, Pau Gasol was a beat on the low block and Trevor Ariza got another late game steal. For the Nuggets, they limped to the finish line — committing dumb fouls and making mental mistakes along the way.

Kobe Bryant led the way for Los Angeles with 41 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals. He hit 12-of-24 shots from the field, 2-for-5 from beyond the three-point line and 15-for-17 at the line. Pau Gasol had 20 points and 11 rebounds, while Trevor Ariza scored 16 points, pulled down four rebounds and swiped two steals.

For the Nuggets, Carmelo Anthony led the way with 21 points — but only three of those points came in the second half. Chauncey Billups had 18 points, seven assists and six rebounds but missed ten of his 15 shots from the field.

Game 4 will be played on Monday. If the Lakers take that contest, the series will be all but over.

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Lakers Take Game 3, Lead 2-1 over Nuggets

The Lakers got the lead for the first time in the fourth quarter when Derek Fisher nailed a three-pointer with two and a half minutes remaining in the game. Los Angeles held on for the win as Kobe Bryant hit six consecutive free throws down to close out Denver’s hopes.

For the game, Bryant finished with 40 points, six rebounds and four assists, while shooting 13-of-28 from the field, 2-of-3 on three-pointers and 12-of-13 at the line. Fisher and Gasol both chipped in with 13 points.

The Nuggets were led by Carmelo Anthony who had 39 points after scoring 30 points in the first three quarters. Anthony also had six rebounds and four assists, while hitting 14-of-20 field goal attempts, 4-of-5 three-pointers, and 7-of-8 free throws. Chauncey Billups chipped in with eight assists and five rebounds.

Game 2 will be played on Thursday at 9 PM EST in Los Angeles.

Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers (Image: Newscom)

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Lakers Rally to Top Nuggets in Game 1

Who will win in this series between the Lakers and the Nuggets? Here are five reasons why I think the Lakers will beat the Nuggets in seven games:

1) Best Player in the Series
When predicting who will win a series in the NBA, a lot of the time the team with the best player in the series will come out on top. While Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups are great players, Kobe Bryant is easily the best player in the series.

2) Chauncey Billups’ Recent History
It’s undeniable that Billups is playing great basketball. However, if you have been following him in recent years, you’ll notice how he’s had trouble in the conference finals in the last three postseasons. Last year, Rajon Rondo ran circles around him. If he breaks down again, the Lakers will romp.

3) Lakers Have Homecourt Advantage
Both of these teams are very good at home. The Lakers used their homecourt advantage to dispose of the Rockets and they’ll likely need that advantage to take care of the Nuggets.

4) Lakers More Talented
Outside of Kobe, the Lakers have a lot of talent. Pau Gasol is an All-Star player. Andrew Bynum is one of the best young centers in the NBA. Lamar Odom is immensely talented. Trevor Ariza and Derek Fisher are above average role players.

5) Nuggets Lack of Chemistry
When push comes to shove, will the Nuggets have enough chemistry not to crack? I’m not sold on that fact. I think the Nuggets will begin to fracture once the pressure is dialed up a few notches.

Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers (Image: Newscom)

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Lakers vs. Nuggets Prediction – WCF Preview

Billups was at it, Dahntay Jones was at it—no surprise there. Nene and Kenyon Martin were throwing their chiseled bodies around like they were the Bad Boys. Martin, especially, is always going to get his worth when fouling,  not a lot of And 1’s via a Martin foul. Carter, Smith and Andersen off the bench played like the spark plugs that they are. Birdman is becoming a Denver legend, yes?

One performer really cemented himself in my eyes as a legitimate superstar. Carmelo Anthony.   He was playing defense, and playing it well. George Karl must be elated—Carmelo buying in on defense, that might just be too much.

No matter Denver’s opponent in the Western Conference Finals, I can say Denver will be my pick to come out on top. When watching them it looks as if the team is on a mission. They can thank Billups for that, he knows what this time of the year is all about. But also they should thank themselves. They could have just reverted back to their old selves—all flash, little substance, no hope. But just as Carmelo stated in his post game comments on the court, Chauncey is a leader.  He’s the difference.

And by way of a reputable, proven example, Carmelo is finally becoming a leader as well.  Plus, he ain’t half bad on the court either.

Melo doing his best Dr. J impersonation (Image:Newscom)

Joe Dumars is taking thank you cards now, Nuggets fans.

Post from: EveryJoe

Denver’s Got My Vote

Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups were the stars for the Nuggets. Anthony led the way with 30 points, five assists and three assists, while Billups had 28 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds. Anthony hit 13-of-22 field goald attempts and Billups of 10-of-16. J.R. Smith, Nene and Kenyon Martin chipped in with 18, 17 and 15 points, respectively.

As expected, Dirk Nowitzki was the star for the Mavericks. The superstar forward out of Germany had 32 points, ten rebounds and seven assists, while hitting 9-of-17 shots from the field and 12-of-12 free throws. Jason Kidd had 19 points and nine assists, while Brandon Bass had 17 points and seven rebounds off the bench.

The Nuggets will play either the Los Angeles Lakers or the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference Finals. The Lakers hold a 3-2 lead in the series and will be looking to eliminate the Rockets in Houston in Game 6.

Chauncey Billups is headed to the Western Conference Finals (Image: Newscom)

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Nuggets Topple Mavs, Advance to the WCF

Nowitzki scored 44 points on the night, including 19 points in the final stanza. For the game, the native of Germany hit 14-of-25 shots from the field, 16-of-17 shots from the line, pulled down 13 rebounds, handed out three assists, collected two steals and blocked one shot. Helping out Nowitzki was Josh Howard, who had 21 points and 11 rebounds while playing on a pair of gimpy ankles.

For the Nuggets, Carmelo Anthony was also very impressive. He finished with 41 points, 11 rebounds, five steals and three assists. Chauncey Billups had 24 points and seven assists, while J.R. Smith had 19 points off of the bench.

Game 5 is to be played on Wednesday. If the Mavs win that game, Game 6 will be back in Dallas on Friday.

Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks (Image: Newscom)

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Dirk Nowitzki Leads Mavs and Avoids Sweep