The Lakers-Nuggets saga continued on Saturday in Denver, the Mile-High City. The game came just two days after the Lakers suffered a devastating – and embarrassing – loss to the Denver team on Thursday, with the Nuggets eager to establish a lead in the series on Saturday.

The Nuggets, however, failed.

The Lakers took Game 3 at 103-97, gaining a 2-1 lead in the series and regaining a home-court advantage.

The loss came as a tremendous disappointment to the Nuggets. The team entered the game with high expectations and strong emotions, a dangerous combination that led to Denver’s implosion over the weekend.

The team would accumulate three technical fouls on Saturday. The first came just seconds before the end of the second quarter, called on Linas Kleiza after the Lakers’ Trevor Ariza made a 25-foot 3-pointer. Then Anthony Carter made the Nuggets’ second immediately after his teammate J.R. Smith made a 24-foot 3-pointer.

The last came at the end of the third. Smith snatched the ball from Sasha Vujacic and scored a 3 pointer; the Nuggets player came down taunting Vujacic. Smith received a technical, and the fourth quarter began with the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant swishing the technical. Denver went on to miss its first nine shots that quarter, before finally landing a bucket with just above 6 minutes remaining.

In fact, by the fourth quarter, every Denver player – with the exception of Chauncey Billups – had 4 fouls.

Denver was also lagging in its offense. Carmelo Anthony, Game 2’s superstar, managed only 21 points in Game 3 – and only 3 points in the second half. He was 4 for 13 in the field. Nor were his teammates picking up the slack: the Nuggets made only 5 of their 27 attempts at 3-pointers.

However, it was not only the Nuggets’ emotional instability that led to a Lakers win. The LA team, notorious for its laxity in defense this season, was able to gain its lead this series largely because of the defensive plays by Trevor Ariza, along with exceptional offensive plays by Bryant and Pau Gasol – not that the latter comes as a surprise.

Ariza, remember, was responsible for a steal in game 1, snatching a lazy throw from Anthony Carter to clinch the Lakers’ victory. Game 3 proved to be déjà-vu for both teams, as Ariza swiped an inbounds pass from Kenyon Martin to Anthony with 36 seconds left in the game and a tenuous 2 point lead for the Lakers.

“I think Ariza does an excellent job of not letting guys get a body on him,” Martin said. “He’s long and athletic.”

Anthony instinctively reached out and fouled Ariza, preventing a breakaway shot. The foul was Melo’s sixth.

To no one’s surprise and amazement, Bryant led his team with 41 points – in 41 minutes – with 6 rebounds and 5 assists. The game marked his ninth playoff game over 40. It was Bryant’s 3-pointer that gave the Lakers a late lead in the game, and his final 4 free throws – coming after a 3 pointer over Smith with one minute left in the game – that gave the Lakers their victory. 

“Kobe does that [3-pointer] time and time and time and time again for game winners,” LA’s Lamar Odom said.

Pau Gasol also added 20 points and 11 rebounds.

According to Anthony, Gasol may have been key to the Lakers’ win on Saturday. “Getting him going and him making shots,” Anthony explained, “it made it hard to double-team him and still try to guard Kobe out there.”

The loss ended Denver’s 16-game home-court winning streak, a record that began in early March during the regular season.

“I think emotionally it was a game we weren’t playing very well offensively,” said Denver Coach George Karl. “It seems like our offense frustrates us more than our defense. I thought in Game 2, the first half of it was our offense. Tonight offensively, we just didn’t play with enough teamness.”

The Nuggets will have a chance to improve their teamness Monday night.