Western Conference Finals

The rollercoaster that is the Western Conference Finals rattled on Monday night as the Denver Nuggets defended their home court in a 120-101 win, evening the series against the Los Angeles Lakers at two games apiece.

The two teams have traded punches in this closely contested series, with the Lakers drawing first blood with a 105-103 home-court victory in game one. The Lakers’ resident superstar Kobe Bryant squared off against his former Team USA teammate Carmelo Anthony, with the duo scoring 40 and 39 points, respectively. It was Bryant’s six free throws in the final half-minute of the fourth quarter, though, that finally pushed his Lakers to the first victory of the series.

Determined to prove themselves a championship caliber team, the Nuggets roared into the second game with a vengeance. Once again, Anthony shouldered the scoring load for the Nuggets, posting a game-high 34 to combat Bryant’s 32, and this time his Nuggets teammates gave him the help he needed. Point guard extraordinaire Chauncey Billups added 27, including some big free throws in the final moments of the game, and reserve forward Linas Kleiza chipped in 16 off the bench to secure 106-103 road win for the Nuggets.

The Lakers rebounded in game three, with Bryant exploding for 41 points while Denver struggled to defend their home court. All-Star center Pau Gasol played his usual solid game, posting a double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds. But it was small forward Trevor Ariza who made the difference, scoring 16 points and snatching a decisive steal in the final minute of the game, ensuring L.A.’s 103-97 victory.

Tied at 2-2, the series now moves back to L.A., where the Lakers hope to take advantage of playing in front of their fans in the Staples Center.