The AP reports: The Denver Nuggets are so much more than just Carmelo Anthony. A dominating effort on the boards and a great performance by the bench helped the Nuggets overcome a below-par effort from an ailing ‘Melo on Monday night, when they raced past the Los Angeles Lakers 120-101, evening the Western Conference finals at two games apiece… “Even before I twisted my ankle, with my stomach, I didn’t have my legs early in the game,” Carmelo Anthony said… Anthony finished with 15 hard-earned points on 3-of-16 shooting, but it hardly mattered because, unlike in Game 3 when his shot also wasn’t falling, his teammates came to the rescue. Six of them scored in double digits, led by Chauncey Billups and J.R. Smith with 24 apiece… “They whooped us, period,” said Kobe Bryant, who scored 34 points… Martin had 13 points and 15 boards, Nene pitched in 14 points and 13 rebounds, and Chris “Birdman” Andersen added 14 rebounds for the Nuggets, who outrebounded the Lakers 58-40.
