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)

Post from: EveryJoe

Nuggets Destroy Lakers in Denver

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

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