NBA Playoffs 2012: Instant Reaction, Analysis of Lakers vs. Nuggets Game 5

Game 5 between the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets was quite the ride. In the end the Nuggets were able to pull off the 102-99 win, and rightfully so.

If it weren't for the late-game heroics of Kobe Bryant, the Nuggets would have mentally been back at the Pepsi Center with eight minutes to go in the fourth. But the Black Mamba did his thing, and the Lakers made a comeback. They just couldn't close the deal.

The first two quarters were streaky, to say the least. One team would get hot while the other went cold. A perfect example of this was late in the second when Denver went cold, then hit three consecutive three-pointers.

The third quarter is when the Lakers' decline started. Kenneth Faried kept the Lakers down all of the first half, but the second is when JaVale McGee and Andre Miller really got a chance to shine. 

Jim Rome tweeted: “Andre Miller is old enough to be Matt Barnes' dad. How does he go right around him like that?”

The fourth looked helpless, and I'm sure people started pouring out of Staples—until the Kobe System kicked in.

With just minutes left, Kobe made eight points in a row to bring the Lakers from 15 behind to within two points. The foul game started, but the Lakers remained behind. Credit to the Nuggets for hitting their clutch free throws exactly when they needed them.

The closest the game got toward the end was a one-point Nugget lead, thanks to a three-pointer by Ramon Sessions, his only of the night. The Lakers were finally down three points with 12 seconds left. First three-point shot was not taken by Kobe, but rather Steve Blake. He missed. Then Sessions got a chance, but he missed his three as well. The two heroes of Game 4 could not pull it off in Game 5.

The Lakers head to Denver for Game 6 on Thursday.

One of the biggest keys to the Lakers losing Tuesday night was that they nearly refused to guard the lane. The Nuggets seemed to be driving in to the paint at will and getting easy layups. Andrew Bynum was not playing very tough defense. Jordan Hill played for nearly 20 minutes tonight but was virtually worthless on offense, although he did generate some defensive energy. This is one of those times where losing Metta World Peace is really hurting the Lakers. They certainly could have used his defensive presence against the Nuggets.

JaVale McGee was a pretty huge reason the Nuggets won as well. McGee had a double-double with 19 points and 14 rebounds. He was a big physical presence that helped keep the Lakers big men under wraps for nearly the whole game.

After all of his big talk about how easy close-out games are, Bynum seemed to have shown up late to the arena again (his excuse for Game 3 in Denver). Denver did have him double-teamed really well throughout the entire game, but that doesn't factor in on the opposite side of the court. There was very little fire and drive to win this game. He finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds. I've read The Power of Positive Thinking, too, Drew, but that doesn't mean you can say it and not back it up.

Another reason for the loss was that the Lakers shot horribly. When Kobe went on his three-point binge in the fourth, they were actually shooting better from three-point land than from the field. They were shooting 41 percent three-pointers and 40 percent FGs. After those last two misses from Blake and Sessions, the percentages went to 38 percent three-pointers and 39 percent FGs, which is still not good.

It was funny how for much of his time in the game, people seemed to think Matt Barnes shouldn't be taking shots. Until the very end of the game, Barnes was either the second-leading scorer or tied with Bynum for it. He finished tied with Gasol for No. 3.

There are some positives to take away from this game. An obvious one is that after this next game the Lakers get Metta World Peace back. Another is that Kobe obviously doesn't have a shooting problem. He went off for 43 points in this loss, more than double what Bynum scored.