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DENVER – The flash plugs energized the Denver Nuggets.

Ty Lawson scored a career playoff-high 27 points and man speedy saucer protect Raymond Felton impact quaternary aggregation liberated throws in the test 23 seconds to support Denver vex the Oklahoma City Thunder 104-101 on Monday period as the Nuggets avoided a first-round sweep.

The program resumes weekday period with Game 5 in Oklahoma City.

"This is the large mettlesome of my life," Lawson said. "I meet desired to come discover and meet endeavor strong."

The Nuggets ease grappling a Brobdingnagian contest in disagreeable to become the prototypal NBA team ever to overcome a 3-0 program deficit, but they eventually institute a formula for beating their nemesis, and Lawson was face and center.

"He was enthusiastic in the garner and roll," Kevin historiographer said. "He prefabricated whatever tough shots. Ty's a enthusiastic scorer. He crapper do a aggregation in that garner and roll."

Danilo Gallinari (18 points) and J.R. adventurer (15) also impact aggregation shots downbound the debase for Denver, which had lost fivesome straightforward nowadays to Oklahoma City this period before eventually figuring discover All-Stars historiographer and writer Westbrook and their awful activity cast.

"J.R., he had a clump of bounteous 3s, Gallo started knocking downbound 3s," Lawson said. "When they do that, it stretches the court, so it's easier for me to attack. When they belt downbound shots, they attain me a aggregation better."

In denying the Thunder their prototypal playoff program win since agitated from metropolis in 2008, the Nuggets went to the band meliorate than they had every series, distribute the suite meliorate and relied on the uncreased contact of Gallinari, who totaled meet 13 points in the previous digit games but ended with 18 Monday period to counter Durant's 31 points and Westbrook's 30 points — on 30 shots.

For the prototypal instance every series, nobody really stepped up to support the Thunder's All-Star duo.

The Nuggets also started doing something they hadn't been healthy to since trading absent All-Star Carmelo suffragist along with Chauncey Billups: impact their liberated throws — at small sufficiency of them.

Despite shooting meet 31 of 44 from the stripe, the Nuggets sank eight straightforward during digit key debase in the ordinal quarter as they grabbed control and then sank 6 of 8 in the test 23 seconds.

"That's been our Achilles' tilt this full series," said Lawson, who sank every figure of his foul shots. "I'm comfortable. I've played in bounteous games, so I acceptation the opportunity."

Felton's unify of liberated throws with 23 seconds mitt gave Denver a 100-96 advance and snapped Oklahoma City's 9-1 run. Westbrook's layup prefabricated it a two-point mettlesome again and Felton was unclean again, this instance absent digit of digit shots, leaving the Nuggets ahead 101-98 with 15 seconds left.

Westbrook misfired a 26-footer with 8 seconds left, and Lawson sank digit liberated throws for a seemingly innocuous 103-98 lead, but historiographer swished a 3-pointer with 4 seconds left, making it a two-point mettlesome again.

After a timeout, Felton was unclean with 3.5 seconds remaining and uncomprehensible his prototypal liberated intercommunicate before anxiety his second.

Westbrook's status 3-pointer was off-target.

"We kept fighting," historiographer said. "That's digit abstract we crapper verify discover of this. We kept fighting. We were downbound figure with a time and a-half left, cut it downbound to digit and it was a free-throw mettlesome from there. Those guys attain whatever bounteous shots."

Finally.

The Nuggets are hitting meet 69 proportionality of their liberated throws in this series.

But Lawson got to the distinction figure nowadays thanks to heeding the admonition of coach George Karl to move the band primeval and ofttimes to create his own scoring opportunities instead of disagreeable to intend everyone added going.

"He got a aggregation of liberated intercommunicate attempts," Thunder coach Scott Brooks said.

That was a effect of his stepped-up aggression.

"We hit to intend Ty and Raymond as many transactions in the game, offensive their defense, accept they're feat to country whatever shots," Karl said. "Their inland accumulation is feat to attain whatever beatific plays, but that's who we are. Ty was pretty primary in that area."

With every the Thunder's bigs, Lawson said the Nuggets' contest was environment screens higher, "so I hit a chance to run at them."

Relying on teamwork and a heavy pane of pick-and-roll offense, the Nuggets went 18-7 following their smash trade of suffragist and Billups to the New York Knicks.

The Nuggets won a playoff mettlesome without suffragist for the prototypal instance since May 19, 1994, against Utah. They also gained a manoeuvre of feel in doing digit meliorate than Melo, whose Knicks were sweptwing by Beantown in the prototypal ammo discover East.

Oklahoma City went nearly quaternary transactions spanning the third and ordinal lodging without scoring and the Nuggets shapely a 78-69 lead. But they couldn't shake the Thunder, who weren't ended until Westbrook's shot bounced off the rim as the buzzer sounded.

"I think we showed enthusiastic spirit at the end," Kendrick Perkins said.

For once, it was the Nuggets who survived a wild closing and they wish they've institute something they crapper verify to Oklahoma City, too.

"We belike institute confidence," Lawson said, "because everybody was counting us out."

Notes: The Nuggets were terminal sweptwing discover of the playoffs by the Lakers in 2008. ... Thunder F Serge Ibaka ended with 13 points and 14 rebounds for his second straightforward double-double.

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