THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
DENVER — Ty Lawson scored a career playoff-high 27 points and J.R. Smith and Danilo Gallinari hit clutch shots down the stretch to help Denver beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 104-101 on Monday night as the Nuggets avoided a first-round sweep.
The series resumes Wednesday night with Game 5 in Oklahoma City.
The Nuggets still face a huge challenge in trying to become the first NBA team ever to overcome a 3-0 series deficit, but they finally found a formula for beating their nemesis.
Oklahoma City had beaten Denver five times this month, the Nuggets unable to figure out all-stars Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and their amazing supporting cast.
Not on this night.
In denying the Thunder their first playoff series win since moving from Seattle in 2008, the Nuggets went to the hoop better than they had all series and relied on the smooth touch of Gallinari, who totalled just 13 points in the previous two games but finished with 18 Monday night to counter Durant’s 31 points and Westbrook’s 30.
For the first time all series, nobody really stepped up to help the Thunder’s all-star duo.
The Nuggets also started doing something they hadn’t been able to since trading away all-star Carmelo Anthony along with Chauncey Billups: hit their free throws — at least enough of them.
Despite shooting just 31 of 44 from the stripe, the Nuggets sank eight straight during one key stretch in the fourth quarter as they grabbed control and then sank 6 of 8 in the final 23 seconds.
Raymond Felton’s pair of free throws with 23 seconds left gave Denver a 100-96 lead and snapped Oklahoma City’s 9-1 run. Westbrook’s layup made it a two-point game again and Felton was fouled again, this time missing one of two shots, leaving the Nuggets ahead 101-98 with 15 seconds left.
After Kendrick Perkins and Nene got tangled up underneath the basket on Felton’s converted free throw, Westbrook misfired a 26-footer with eight seconds left.
Lawson sank two free throws for a seemingly safe 103-98 lead, but Durant swished a three-pointer with four seconds left, making it a two-point game again.
After a timeout, Felton was fouled with 3.5 seconds remaining and missed his first free throw before sinking his second.
Westbrook’s desperation three-pointer was off, and Westbrook argued for a foul call just as Smith had argued for a whistle on his errant three-pointer at the buzzer of Denver’s 97-94 loss in Game 3.
Relying on teamwork and a heavy dose of pick-and-roll offence, the Nuggets went 18-7 following their blockbuster trade of Anthony and Billups to the New York Knicks, securing their fourth straight 50-win season under George Karl.
But they limped into the playoffs as much as they stormed in, and ran into a tough matchup against the Thunder, who also retooled their roster at the trade deadline, acquiring bruiser Perkins from Boston to provide toughness and playoff experience to the young team led by all-stars Durant and Westbrook.
Without Billups and Anthony, the Nuggets lacked a go-to guy in crunch time and they sorely missed their former teammates at the foul line, hitting only 69 per cent in this series.
The Nuggets won a playoff game without Anthony for the first time since May 19, 1994, against Utah. They also gained a measure of pride in doing one better than Melo, whose Knicks were swept by Boston in the first round out East.
Before tip-off Thunder coach Scott Brooks said he never expected Oklahoma City to be in position to sweep the Nuggets and his mentor, Karl, but said all he was thinking about was making sure it was close in the fourth quarter.
The Thunder did just that, heading into the fourth quarter trailing 71-69. But Oklahoma City went nearly four minutes spanning the third and fourth quarters without scoring and the Nuggets built a 78-69 lead.
Finally, James Harden went strong to the hoop for a one-handed slam dunk and the drought was over. Westbrook followed with a driving layup and Durant’s three-point play brought the Thunder to 80-76.
Durant’s four free throws pulled the Thunder to 89-87 with 4 1/2 minutes left, but Lawson’s layup sparked a clinching 8-0 run that included Gallinari’s fadeaway and three-pointer.
The Thunder weren’t done.
Durant’s three-pointer was the big basket in a 9-1 run Oklahoma City used to pull to 98-96 with 1:09 left.
For once, it was the Nuggets who survived a furious finish.
Notes: Chris Andersen blocked Eric Maynor’s shot in the first quarter, then saved it himself before it went out of bounds. Seconds later, Maynor’s halfcourt shot swished at the buzzer but didn’t count because he didn’t get it off in time. … The Nuggets were last swept out of the playoffs by the Lakers in 2008. … Thunder F Serge Ibaka finished with 13 points and 14 rebounds for his second straight double-double.
