LOS ANGELES — The Nuggets’ defensive options are being stretched thin. Sunday, Denver played mostly man-to-man with different defenders on Lakers star Kobe Bryant, only to be burned by post man Pau Gasol.
Wednesday night, the Nuggets paid acute attention to Gasol, only to have Bryant explode for 49 points.
What’s a team to do?
That’s what the Nuggets must figure out by Saturday, when the teams meet at the Pepsi Center for Game 3.
“It’s going to come down to individual pride and team defense at the same time,” Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony said. “At this point, X’s and O’s don’t make any sense right now. We got go out there and just play, play harder than our opponent.”
Kenyon Martin guarding Bryant for much of the series opener worked, holding Bryant to 9-of-26 shooting. A heavy zone defensive presence in the Game 2 had its moments. But ultimately, the Lakers put up another large point total and the Nuggets walked away with another loss, this one 122-107.
Martin was not as effective on Bryant in Game 2. Bryant started the game hot, scoring 20 points in the first quarter. Martin got into foul trouble and fouled out in the fourth. The zone was OK, but the Lakers eventually were able to solve it. Bryant was a one-man wrecking crew, scoring from all angles, and the Lakers got timely 3-pointers from Sasha Vujacic and Luke Walton, which kept the Nuggets’ defense scrambling.
“Until the second half we were doing what we wanted to do, executing the way we wanted to execute,” guard J.R. Smith said. “You can’t play 5-on-8.”
Trailing late in the fourth quarter, the Nuggets were forced to scrap the zone and go man-to-man in order to come from behind. But the Lakers flourished in that scenario, scoring whenever they wanted.
Walton was effective in a role created by the absence of Ronny Turiaf, who missed the game because of a sore throat. Walton scored 10 points in the third quarter, when the Nuggets deployed their heaviest use of the 2-3 zone defense. He ended the game with 18 points.
Meanwhile, the Nuggets have allowed 250 points — an average of 125 — in the first two games. The Lakers have not shot worse than 50 percent in either game and have made 17-of-40 3-pointers (42.5 percent).
“We did a lot of things we need to work on,” Anthony said. “We’ve got two days go get better and take care of our home court, just like they did.”
Bryant has averaged 40.5 points in the two games.
The Nuggets have been particularly porous in the second half, giving up 70 points in the second half of Game 1 and 63 in the second half Wednesday.
So the Nuggets are back to searching for answers.
“There’s always something we can do to help us,” Smith said. “We’ve just got to find out what it is when we go back home.”
Chris Dempsey: 303-954-1279 or cdempsey@denverpost.com
