Kobe takes a beating but pulls out the win in Denver!
May 24th, 2009 by TyThe Lakers matched the intensity of the Nuggets in every quarter for the full 48 minutes with controlled and decisive plays that may not have been pretty but they counted.
Hard fouls and hustle plays were abundant in this game and with both teams finding it hard to get into any real rhythm offensively the game it looked like the game was bound to be decided by defensive stops and that’s exactly how it played out. With the Nuggets down by 3pts, Trevor Ariza stole the ball on Kenyon Martins bad inbound pass and Melo had to foul Ariza to prevent an easy lay-up and with Melo fouling out at that point the game was decided at the free throw line.
The main star of this game was, once again Kobe who finished with 41pts and 6rbds. He took a lot of beating in this game from Donte Jones and pretty much any of the Denver players that had to guard him . But kudos to Kobe for staying calm through most of it and just setting the tone for the rest of his team to follow.
The Nuggets will look back and see that playing with emotion can win you some games but can also help to lose some crucial games. Lakers have a chance to clamp down on the high hopes of the Nuggets on Monday. It should be a fun game, see you then!