Lakers Own the Fourth and Take a 3-2 Series Lead

Lakers win Game 5 104-93

For three quarters it was impossible to predict a winner. I’ve never seen a more evenly played game: tied at the end of the 1st, tied at halftime, tied after the 3rd. It was only the fourth time in NBA playoff history that has ever happened. Both teams were executing beautifully on offense and giving strong and committed effort on defense.

It all fell apart for the Nuggets in the final frame, and the Lakers pounced. Billups was the biggest culprit in the collapse, as he started jacking up (and missing) quick threes in transition and turning the ball over. Kleiza came in a sparked the Nuggets with a quick scoring burst but it was too little too late. When Nené, who had been the strongest interior presence for the Nuggets, fouled out with 4 minutes left, the writing was on the wall.

From the Lakers’ perspective, this game could not have been played at a much higher level. Yes, they were hardly dominant on the defensive end for the first three quarters, but you have to give this Nuggets team credit; they can score. The Lakers can score themselves. Their attack was fueled by a new approach from Kobe. He took only 13 shots from the field, but scored 22 points. He was acting as more of a decoy, drawing the double team and consistently finding open teammates (primarily Odom and Gasol). He tallied 8 assists, but his effect on the smoothness of the Lakers’ offense was even greater.

The other key to the Lakers’ victory came from an unlikely source. Shannon Brown was huge off the bench at the end of the third and for the first half of the fourth. He threw down a sick dunk on Birdman in transition, hit an insane jumper with the shot clock winding down and a few other big plays. He energized the crowd and the Lakers. Brown played 14 minutes and scored 6 points, but more importantly, the Lakers were +13 when he was on the court.

The only player with a higher +/- (a flawed, but still interesting stat) was Lamar Odom. Odom had been doing a bit of a disappearing man act so far in this series, but he was a major force in Game 5. His box score line is a thing of beauty: 32 minutes, 19 points (7-15 from the field), 14 rebounds (4 offensive), 4 blocks, 3 assists.

The Lakers really took back the middle in this game, finally capitalizing on their greater length. They had 12 blocks to the Nuggets 5. Pau had a monster night too. He had 14 points, 10 rebounds, 5 blocks, 4 assists and 2 steals.

Carmelo Anthony returned to form for the Nuggets after two poor scoring games. He had 31 points, although he needed 23 shot attempts to get them. Martin added 12, as did Billups. Kleiza contributed 10 off the bench.

The Nuggets will attempt to extend the Western Conference Finals on Friday as the series returns to Denver. Carmelo says that confidence on the Nuggets team is high, but even if they are successful on Friday, they’ll face a tough task back in LA for Game 7.