Nuggets caught up in numbers

After the Lakers’ 105-103 Game 1 victory over Denver on Tuesday, Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony scanned the stat sheet and noticed a few glaring numbers.

Forget Trevor Ariza’s stealing an inbounds pass from Anthony Carter, and the Lakers securing the victory with Kobe Bryant’s two free throws. The box score told the whole story.

“A lot of people think it came down to that steal with 30 seconds left,� said Anthony. “With us missing 12 free throws and losing 22-10 second-chance points, that’s a lot.

“You can’t win a game like that.�

Not when Denver shoots 65% from the free-throw line, loses the battle for offensive rebounds 14-4 and gives up 22 second-chance points.

As guard Chauncey Billups said, “We missed out on a great opportunity to steal this game.�

The Nuggets opened the first quarter with a 31-23 lead, as Anthony scored 16 of his team-high 39 points. Denver shot a sizzling 63.6% from the field and held the Lakers to 41.7% shooting.

In the Rockets-Lakers series, whichever team won the first quarter prevailed in every game. Denver Coach George Karl didn’t expect that in this series, however, citing both teams’ “toughness to come back.�

“We’re both offensively explosive enough to make a run,� he said.

That’s exactly what happened.

The Lakers’ second unit scored 20 points in the first half, as Josh Powell’s two free throws at the 1:09 mark of the second quarter gave the Lakers their first lead at 50-49. In the fourth quarter, Bryant scored 15 of his team-high 40 points in the final 6:48.

Karl and his players displayed signs of frustration afterward, knowing these Nuggets aren’t the same team that the Lakers swept last year in the opening round of the playoffs.

“I watched this team against the Lakers last year and I don’t think they had one game this competitive,� said Billups, who scored 18 points. The Nuggets acquired him three games into the season from the Detroit Pistons in exchange for guard Allen Iverson.

Anthony’s 39 points erased his 14.5 points a game average and 32.8% shooting against the Lakers in the regular season. Kenyon Martin (15) and Nene (14) provided a physical presence down low, forcing Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom in foul trouble.

The chippiness was appropriate considering World Wrestling Entertainment chairman Vince McMahon challenged Nuggets owner Stan Kroenke to a steel-cage match.

The Pepsi Center double booked Game 4 of the Lakers-Nuggets series and WWE’s “Monday Night Raw� Monday, with preference being given to the Nuggets.

But in Game 1, the Lakers were given preference. It gave Denver no solace in playing in a close game.

“There’s no moral victories in playoff basketball,� Karl said. “The next 48 hours are going to be difficult. We’re going to try to regroup and re-energize.�

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