pointer over J.R. Smith to give Los Angeles a one-point lead with just over a minute remaining Saturday as the Lakers went on to win 103-97 over the Denver Nuggets for a 2-1 lead in the NBA Western Conference finals. Bryant, who scored 41 points, went 5-of-6 on free throws to seal the win after his 3-pointer gave Los Angeles a 96-95 lead. Carmelo Anthony scored 21 points but just three after halftime for Denver, which lost at home for the first time since March 9. He made four of 13 shots in his worst performance of the postseason. Before Saturday night, the Nuggets had been dominant at home in the playoffs. They ran away with all six games at Pepsi Center against the New Orleans Hornets and Dallas Mavericks by an average of 17.5 points. The Nuggets, who led most of the game but were done in by poor decisions and a failure to keep their composure, fell behind by four points when Trevor Ariza stole Kenyon Martin's inbounds pass, was fouled by Anthony and sank two foul shots for a 99-95 lead with 36 seconds left. Chauncey Billups' two free throws made it 99-97, but Bryant sank two more free throws with 22 seconds remaining, Billups missed a 3-pointer and Bryant capped his big night with two more foul shots with 12 seconds left. Several hours before the game, Bryant was admiring Le Bron James' buzzer-beater that gave Cleveland a 96-95 win over Orlando in the Eastern Conference finals, saying big-time players make big-time shots. The Nuggets had won 16 in a row at home, and now Los Angeles has grabbed back the home-court advantage. Game 4 is Monday night, when the Lakers and Nuggets will have the Pepsi Center to themselves after World Wrestling Entertainment moved Monday Night Raw to the Staples Center in Los Angeles because of the double booking that WWE chairman Vince McMahon milked for all it was worth.
