Denver learns from Game 1 errors

The contrast couldn’t have been any more different.

After Denver’s Game 1 loss to the Lakers, Nuggets Coach George Karl sat at the post-game news conference, saying he was “in shock,” taking nearly 30 seconds before responding to the first question.

He looked so solemn, he later received phone calls and texts from friends wondering if a family member died.

Flash forward to Thursday, and Karl is musing about his favorite music groups and how he had a higher alcohol tolerance when he was younger. And this was before the Nuggets’ 106-103 Game 2 victory over the Lakers, which tied the Western Conference finals at 1-1. Game 3 is Saturday at the Pepsi Center.

But Karl’s personality change from depressed to jubilant typified the Nuggets’ resiliency, a quality players say led to their franchise-best 54-28 regular-season record.

How long did it take for them to forget about the Game 1 loss?

“Right after,” said forward Kenyon Martin, who scored 16 points, including a layup with 29 seconds left to give the Nuggets a 103-101 lead. “You can’t get it back.”

Instead, the Nuggets took Game 2 from the Lakers, who had an 11-0 playoff record against Denver since 1985.

Forward Carmelo Anthony continued his postseason resurgence, scoring 34 points and grabbing nine rebounds. Forward Linas Kleiza gave Denver bench support with 16 points and eight rebounds, after playing a limited role in these playoffs because of Karl’s dissatisfaction with his defense.

And after shooting 65% from the free-throw line in Game 1, the Nuggets shot a respectable 78.4%. That included guard Chauncey Billups converting three of four free throws in the final 13 seconds.

“We got a lot tougher in the last two minutes of the game,” said Billups, who scored 27 points. “We just got tougher, where we should have done that in Game 1.

“We learned from that and did it in Game 2.”

At first, it appeared Denver wouldn’t have another chance to steal a win on the road. The Lakers jumped out to a 31-23 lead in the first quarter.

In the first, Anthony scored only two points, the Lakers’ frontline of Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum combined for 11 points and Nuggets guard Dahntay Jones picked up four fouls in the first 6:12 of the game.

After the Lakers led 51-38 with 3:45 left in the second quarter, the Nuggets went on a 16-4 run.

Anthony saw a much different team than in the previous five years.

“I think this team last year, the lead probably would have gone from 10 to 20,” he said. “I’ll be sitting here talking to you about a loss last year, where this year our team is so much mentally tougher than last year. We came a long way.”

--

mark.medina@latimes.com