8/10/2023 0 Comments Lakers vs nuggets game 5 2009![]() The Lakers cut a 16-point deficit to 102-92 on four Bryant free throws with 3:49 left thanks to technicals on Martin and Anthony. At the break, he needed fluids and had his ankle retaped, then returned with a dogged determination to help the Nuggets however he could to pull even in the series.īryant and Pau Gasol (21 points) kept the Lakers within striking distance. Making matters worse, he turned his right ankle in the first half. 'Melo's shooting slump continued as he went 3-for-16 and missed his first 10 shots. The game featured four technical fouls and 84 free throws, 49 by Denver. He put a scare into the Nuggets and their fans until Smith hit back-to-back dagger 3-pointers for a 113-96 cushion.Īnthony finished with a hard-fought 15 points, and Martin had 13 points and 15 boards. The Nuggets didn't need to worry about a botched inbounds pass in the closing seconds like the ones that cost them wins in Games 1 and 3, although Kobe Bryant had another monster fourth quarter in a furious attempt to put a stranglehold on the series that shifts to Los Angeles for Game 5 Wednesday night.īryant, who is averaging 37 points in the series, scored 34, including 14 in the fourth quarter. Smith scored 24 points and Kenyon Martin posted a double-double as the Nuggets posted their eighth blowout of the postseason but first against Los Angeles following three games that came down to the final seconds. The numbers speak for themselves: 36 points in the fourth quarter on 69% is gonna make it really hard to win a game in the NBA Finals.DENVER - The Denver Nuggets evened the Western Conference finals Monday night, beating the Los Angeles Lakers 120-101 in Game 4 despite a hobbled Carmelo Anthony.Ĭhauncey Billups and J.R. “Just our inability or unwillingness to get stops and have a defensive mindset in the fourth quarter was very problematic. “They came out in that third quarter with a huge sense of desperation, and we didn’t match that,” Malone said. Miami is one of the most difficult cities to play, exponentially when there’s a championship on the line, and Malone’s Nuggets suddenly find themselves in must-win territory. This is uncharted territory: His first appearance in the NBA Finals, and his first home playoff loss of this postseason run. Now Malone faces all the pressure in the world. It steeled us, and we developed some grit, which is what we all want, right? We all want to be able to have that privilege of having adversity and being able to overcome it. “And because of all that adversity and the 57 close games that happened due to a lot of that, it hardened us. “We faced a lot of adversity during the season, and we handled it the right way, where you’re not making excuses about it: the injuries, the changing lineups,” Spoelstra said. Former All-Star Victor Oladipo also suffered a season-ending leg injury in Game 5 of the same series. He’s done more with less this time around: Former Sixth Man of the Year Tyler Herro has missed the entire playoffs with a wrist injury suffered in Game 1 of the first-round series against the Milwaukee Bucks. He had been fortunate enough to coach three sure-fire Hall of Famers the last time his Heat team competed for championships. He had no such misfortune this time around: The Heat blew a 3-0 series lead to the Celtics but closed them out in Game 7 in Boston to punch their ticket to the NBA Finals.įor Spoelstra, this time it’s different. And then last season, Spoelstra coached the Heat to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they lost to the Boston Celtics in Game 7.
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