Game 3: Los Angeles Lakers 103 Denver Nuggets 97Analysis: The Lakers were able to win this game with defense and free throw shooting. They held the Nuggets to just 39.3% shooting at home mostly because the Nuggets shot 5 of 27 from three point range. That's pretty horrible and 'Melo, Billups, & J.R. Smith were the main culprits as they combined to shoot 5 of 24 from three. The Lakers also went to the free throw line 45 times in this game compared to 31 times for the Nuggets. However, they needed those extra 14 free throw attempts because they only hit 5 more free throws than the Nuggets. Another tough loss for the Nuggets, but the really didn't play all that well on offense and they still had a chance to win the game, so that is one encouraging aspect for them. I think they will play better in Game 4 and even up the series.
Key Players of The Game
Kobe Bryant: Kobe showed up big time with 41 points on 12 of 24 shooting and 15 of 17 from the line. That's exactly the performance the Lakers needed from Kobe to come out victorious in Denver.
Pau Gasol: I said he needed to score 20 plus points in Denver for the Lakers to win on the road and he got his 20 points exactly, so I guess that was an accurate statement. He shot 7 of 12 from the floor and also grabbed 11 boards.
Trevor Ariza: Not only did Ariza come up with another big steal, but he also poured in 16 points on 5 of 8 shooting. I'm kind of surprised that Ariza has been playing so well offensively in this series. Right now he is averaging 14.0 points a game on 56.5% shooting in the 3 games so far in this series.
Carmelo Anthony/Chauncey Billups: These two combined to shoot just 9 of 28 from the field and that's probably the biggest reason why the Nuggets lost. They did manage to shoot 18 of 21 from the line and score a combined 39 points, but for Denver to win they need to shoot a better percentage from the floor.
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