Lakers Vs. Nuggets Live Game Blog

Nugs up 18-13. K-Mart fell down while trying to dribble, and called a timeout in the ensuing scrap. I don't know why. He can get up higher than anyone else out there. Take the jump ball and don't waste the timeout.

1:44- Birdman gets his first offensive rebound, and the crowd responds. That board came off of another 'Melo miss, who is officially ice-cold. K-Mart's free throws put Denver up seven.

:58- Odom called for a moving screen. A fruitless trip by Denver leads to a Bryant jumper. Then Bryant hits a floating banker at the buzzer. End of first, Denver leads 22-19. Other than Bryant, L.A. isn't showing the seize-the-moment attitude they promised they would. Shocker.

*I don't know who has the bigger crush on who: Mark Jackson on Kobe Bryant or Van Gundy on Yao Ming. It's a serious toss-up.

2nd Quarter

11:44- J.R. Smith with the sick penetration and alley-oop to Anderson. If he swapped the amount of times he did that with the amount of times he takes a bad three, Karl wouldn't take him off the floor so often.

10:24- Birdman with the swat. Fans are delirious. They love their Birdman. They adore him. They worship him. And with so few players who play just to do the dirty work, they should. Nugs up 28-19.

9:17- Smith gets the offensive rebound (Nugs are killing them on the boards) and the nifty layup. Denver just wants it more. On top of that, with no Kobe on the floor, the Lakers are putting zero points on the board. Nugs up 30-19, timeout Lakers.

8:51- Kobe's back in, and right away posts up and dishes to Farmar for the three. Lakers can't get a stop though, and give up a layup by Kleiza. Kleiza follows it up with a three, Nugs by 13. If defense wins championships, the Lakers won't win.

7:30- Another Nene dunk, assist to J.R. Smith. Smith must've been hanging out with Billups lately. It's rubbing off. It's contagious, and not in a negative or sick way.

6:45- Even J.R. Smith dishing to Nene for another dunk can't stop the Nuggets' fans tangible worry over 'Melo limping off the floor. Bryant pours in some lemon juice with an and-one fadeaway. Nugs up 39-29.

6:05- Smith is playing out of his mind. Seriously, 'cause his mind is not (or was not) capable of such intelligent play. 'Melo comes back out the floor, temporarily dispelling the community's fear.

*This is where Kobe's lack of a bond with his teammates comes into play. If his teammates liked him, they'd listen to him if he were to call them out right now. If Kobe tries to instill a sense of urgency, though, they'll bitterly take it in but not alter their play.

4:43- J.R. Smith follows a Fisher three with a two of his own. Nugs up 44-32. Smith is so geeked over his own play that he tries to dunk over the back of Kobe on an offensive board. Baby steps, J.R., baby steps.

* First Jackson/Van Gundy disagreement: Van Gundy says that dunk-attempt shouldn't have been a foul on J.R., since Kobe didn't block out. Jackson is mortified at Van Gundy's disrespect.

3:01- Good thing the Nuggets bench showed up 'cause Carmelo Anthony is still M.I.A. Bricks, turnovers, injuries, no transition defense...the dude is out like Terminator's number-one spot on the movie charts.

2:53- Lamar Odom just got snuffed out by K-Mart. Goodness. And of course, Kobe deflates the entire arena with a three right after the fact. He's seriously the only Laker who wants to win this thing tonight.

2:16- Derek Fisher just outjumped K-Mart in a jump ball. If the Nugs win, his teammates will never let that one go. If they lose, he'll be secretly mocked by everyone in the league. Nugs lead is slowly dissipating, 46-40.

1:00- 'Melo breaks open the rim with a dunk from a J.R. feed. Nugs up 50-42. Timeout L.A., and 'Melo goes to the locker room. I don't think Denver can win without him, unless J.R. has one of his 15 to 20-point quarters.

:37- Renaldo Balkman just entered the game. Somewhere Isaiah Thomas is sitting in a basement beaming, saying, "I drafted that kid!"

:00- I'm trying not to fall out of my chair. Balkman just got blocked twice. Only an Isaiah Thomas draft pick would get blocked twice his only 37 seconds of playing time.

First Half Thoughts:

Denver's energy is efficiently off the charts, as opposed to Game 3's emotional overdose. Their passing and teamwork is enabling them to dissect the Laker's defense, helping balance out 'Melo's ineffectiveness in the first half.

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