The game started with Kobe Bryant on fire and the Los Angeles Lakers with a huge lead. It ended with Chauncey Billups making nine three-pointers and scoring 39 points to lead the Denver Nuggets to a 126-113 victory Friday night. The Lakers were beaten for the second straight time by the Nuggets, and it was not pretty. Here are my five thoughts:
Playing through pain. Kobe started to make my suggestion that he take a game off look pretty foolish by scoring 23 points in the first half. But, as I predicted via Twitter, he cooled off significantly after having to sit through halftime and watch his ankle get stiff and swollen. By scoring so much early, Bryant failed to get his teammates involved, so they struggled to score when Kobe went cold. More proof that the Lakers would be better served with Kobe in street clothes for a few games.
You don't mess with the RonRon. New acquisition Ron Artest has been subdued for most of the season thus far, but we saw glimpses of the old temper Friday night when he was fouled hard by Denver's Joey Graham. Artest retaliated by getting in his face, drawing a technical in the process. It seemed to wake Artest up, as he played tough D and hit a three on the Lakers' next possession. Just goes to prove that, just like Sidney Deane, Artest plays better when he's angry.
Somebody's gotta score for Denver. With Carmelo Anthony sidelined, someone had to pick up the scoring slack. And tonight that person was Chauncey Billups. The shoot-first point guard seemed to relish the freedom to gun at will, and knocked down three-pointer after three-pointer Friday night. Billups drew "oohs" and "aahs" from the Staples Center crowd while energizing the Nuggets, which allowed them to extend the lead even with Billups on the bench to start the fourth.
Too much quickness. No surprise here, but the Lakers struggled guarding the Nuggets' athleticism, namely point guard Ty Lawson and gunner J.R. Smith. They both provided a spark off the bench and seemed to do whatever they wanted on the court. Smith made some huge threes and finished with 27 points off the bench. The three-headed monster of Derek Fisher, Jordan Farmar, and Shannon Brown couldn't do much with the Nuggets guards. But what else is new.
So much for the toughness. As many of us suspected, it appears the rugged, rough style of play the Lakers used to beat the Boston Celtics was just a facade. They reverted to their old style Friday night, doing much more complaining than playing defense. The Nuggets did what they wanted, when they wanted, and beat the Lakers up all night. I guess it's back to the drawing board. The problem is, it's not going to get any easier in the next few games.
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