The Nuggets remained upbeat after the loss despite their fourth-quarter meltdown in a game that had been tied going into the final period.

"We're going to go home and do what we've got to do - play hard and continue to play the way we've been playing," Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony said. "A lot of intensity."

The Nuggets had a superb chance to take the series lead until going cold from the field in the fourth quarter. The odds are not with them. Entering these playoffs, there had been 145 times when a seven-game series began 2-2, and the Game 5 winner ended up winning the series 121 times.

What happened Wednesday night? A collapse.

A collapse by the Nuggets' offense, thanks to the collapsing defense of the home team, which clamped down on Denver's shooters and turned a tight game into a breather with an 11-0 spurt to start the final period.

From 76-all to start the fourth, things got away from the Nuggets in a hurry during a stretch in which they missed 11 consecutive shots.

During a span that the Lakers' Kobe Bryant called "absolutely, absolutely" the best defensive run he can remember his team playing, the Lakers turned a seven-point deficit late in the third period into an 11-point lead by early in the fourth. For the period, the Nuggets made just 5-of-21 field goals, with only Anthony and Linas Kleiza hitting from the field.

"I think once you get a couple stops, you get more confident and more aggressive on defense," Lakers forward Pau Gasol said. "Then you get the crowd more into the game and you get them going too. ... I think we definitely gained momentum in that period of time. And that gave us a nice lead we were able to contain and maintain until the end of the game."

Watching the Nuggets attempt to catch up was like watching a kid trying to catch a balloon floating just out of reach. Every time they appeared close to cutting into the lead, they clanked a 3-pointer, or turned the ball over, or committed an offensive foul.

Speaking of fouls, the Nuggets spoke their mind after the game in reference to the foul calls - in the fourth, Denver was called for 11 and the Lakers just four. In reference to his center, Nuggets coach George Karl said, "Nene has six fouls - three, four don't exist."

Anthony, meanwhile, played Game 4 with an injured ankle and an upset stomach. Game 5, he just played upset, unleashing some ankle-breakers. Melo was angry and aggressive, banging into the low post from the perimeter. By the half, he already had 14 points in a game tied at 56. He finished with a game-high 31 points, 11 in the fourth period, but had little help at the offensive end.

Bryant finished with 22 points (a team-high) and eight assists (though he had seven turnovers). But he got much more help at the offensive end from his teammates than did Melo. The Lakers' low-post game, which had been stymied much of the series, was dominant, notably Gasol, who scored eight points in the fourth quarter and Lamar Odom, who had 19 points and 14 rebounds. L.A. outscored the Nuggets 54-36 in the paint.

In their storied history, the Lakers are now 20-0 in Game 5 at home when a series is tied 2-2.

For the Nuggets , their storybook season will only be prolonged if they force a Game 7 back here.

Benjamin Hochman: 303-954-1294 or bhochman@denverpost.com ---------------- Ice cold

In Game 5, the teams were tied after the first, second and third quarters for just the fourth time in NBA playoff history.

But the Nuggets missed the mark in the fourth. Their numbers in the deciding frame:

....FG....FT....Reb....Ast....Pts....

Anthony....3-8....5-5....0....0....11....

Martin....0-3....0-0....1....0....0....

Nene....0-1....0-0....0....0....0....

Billups....0-2....0-0....0....1....0....

Smith....0-3....0-0....1....2....0....

Andersen....0-0....0-0....1....0....0....

Kleiza....2-4....2-2....4....0....7....

Nuggets ....5-21....7-7....7....3....18....

Lakers....7-16....13-16....14....6....27....