Nuggets fall short but not into despair

Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson did their dynamic duo part. The Denver Nuggets’ bench was there, when needed, to prop them with added support. Their defense, for a long while at least, harassed Kobe Bryant into missing shot after shot.

The blueprint for a Nuggets’ victory was in place.

Yet, they still didn’t come close in Sunday’s 128-114 opening-round loss to the Lakers.

Disheartening? Maybe.

Mildly depressing? Sure.

But the Nuggets were not quite in down-in-the-dumps despair.

Instead, there were a lot of nots coming out of their locker room, as in what will and will not happen as the series progresses.

“I’m pretty sure they won’t break it open like that again,” Anthony said. “I’m pretty sure we aren’t going to come out and play the way we did in that third quarter and lay down the way we did for a couple minutes. I don’t think that’s really going to happen.”

It did really happen Sunday, with Denver’s pass-go defense from the regular season seeping into the playoffs.

Kenyon Martin did a decent job of stifling Bryant through much of the game until he started flirting with foul trouble, allowing Bryant to catch a groove. Pau Gasol waltzed his way through, past and beyond Nuggets defenders. And Luke Walton took advantage of smaller players guarding him.

It all left Nuggets Coach George Karl to quip, “I think Coby Karl could have scored the baskets.”

For Anthony and Iverson it was a journey, if unsteady path, to their 30 points apiece. And one that ultimately ended in frustration.

Anthony took 26 shots to get there and Iverson took 24, making only seven of his 13 free throws.

Iverson was tossed at 2 minutes 10 seconds of the fourth quarter by official Ken Mauer after receiving two technical fouls in place of the foul call he sought.

“[He] made the right decision about throwing me out,” Iverson said. “I deserved to get thrown out at that point. Obviously, I thought I got fouled on a hand check on that play, and I felt he was right on that play and didn’t make the call.”

At this point, it would probably be more prudent for the Nuggets to locate a defensive stopper, but Linas Kleiza came off the bench for 23 points. He played as Marcus Camby, the league’s reigning defensive player of the year, curiously watched the entire fourth quarter from the bench.

“Marcus, I didn’t think, played poorly,” Karl said. “I just thought at the time, the rhythm of the game was play fast and be aggressive to the rim and continue to try to score points in the faster mode.”

They were in the game, even taking an eight-point lead in the second quarter. But these are the playoffs, where play toughens and tempers shorten.

Five technical fouls and one flagrant foul were called. All but one, a technical on Bryant, went against the Nuggets.

They were particularly peeved at Anthony Carter’s technical foul on Bryant as he went to the rim in the third quarter. Carter pushed Bryant to receive the call, but before that, Karl said, Bryant hit Carter in the eye as he tried to hold him from falling.

“His eye was swelling in front of us, as he was being given the technical foul,” Karl said. “I think it was a bad call.”

All in all, it wasn’t the start the Nuggets were looking for to the series or the game.

Their bus started spewing smoke on the way to Staples Center, an ominous sign. No one was injured, but it delayed their arrival.

They returned to the Mile High City after the game, with perhaps some of that fresh air and high altitude a remedy to clear some minds before Wednesday’s Game 2.

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jonathan.abrams@latimes.com