As the game was coming down to the final minutes, J.R. Smith was trading baskets with the great Kobe Bryant and holding his own.
It went like this:
Bryant scores twice, Lakers 95-90. Smith scores twice, Nuggets 95, Lakers 95 and Smith tacks on a free throw for a three-point play and the Nuggets lead 96-95 with 3:23 left.
The burst didn’t hold in Denver’s favor, as Bryant answered right back, scoring 14 of his game high 31 points in the final 5-1/2 minutes.
But Smith’s clutch performance caught everybody’s eye, including team captain Carmelo Anthony.
“He has put his troubles behind him,” Anthony said of Smith. “He matured a lot on the court this season.”
However, Smith didn’t mature enough to hang around and talk to the media.
Even so, he was a catalyst in the Nuggets’ final game. He scored a team-high 26 points off the bench. He had two steals, including one that led to the three-point play that put the Nuggets up, 96-95. Bryant one-upped him, finishing with 31 points, including what turned out to be the winning field goal with 40.7 seconds left.
At least the Nuggets departed knowing they had competed, unlike the first three games of the series.
“I didn’t think we quit last game either,” guard Anthony Carter said, referencing Carmelo Anthony’s comments that the team and coaches quit. “There might have been situations where it looked like we did. But we fought to the end. Everybody played hard to the end. We had a great season this year, but we got a tough matchup in the playoffs.
“The Lakers didn’t panic when they had the rough stretches. Their role players came in and knocked down shots. They have a great coach. Kobe Bryant was amazing. I thought Kenyon (Martin) played great defense on him the whole night and made him take tough shots. That’s why everybody yells “MVP” at him.”
Carter wouldn’t predict what the future holds for the Nuggets.
“I’m not the ownership,” Carter said.
Irv Moss: 303 954-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com.
