Aaron J. Lopez

DENVER - Anyone who doubts whether the Denver Nuggets have the resiliency to outlast the Los Angeles Lakers has not been paying attention.

Their starting center beat cancer.

Their best 3-point shooter carries the burden of killing his best friend in a car accident.

Their high-energy backup forward spent two years out of the league for drug abuse.

Their starting point guard was considered a draft bust early in his career before becoming an NBA champion.

Their starting power forward has come back from microfracture surgery on both knees.

As for their starting small forward … the list of missteps and subsequent triumphs is too long to recount.

"We do a great job of beating the odds,’’ shooting guard J.R. Smith said.

Denver’s latest rise from the ashes came Monday night in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals. Thanks to a couple of fourth-quarter meltdowns, the Nuggets found themselves down 2-1 in the best-of-seven series. Another loss and they would have to beat the Lakers three times in a row, including twice in Los Angeles.

Even for a team of survivors, those odds probably would have been too much to overcome.

As if to boost the degree of difficulty heading into Game 4, leading scorer Carmelo Anthony came down with a stomach virus shortly after arriving at the Pepsi Center on Monday. Without getting graphic, he admitted to losing weight by the hour and he needed an IV at halftime.

"I saw him before the game. I saw it on his face,’’ teammate Kenyon Martin said. "That’s what his teammates are for. I told him, 'Just give us what you’ve got and we’ll pick up the rest.’’’

Showing that he’s a man of his word, Martin went out and scored 13 points and grabbed 15 rebounds on two knees that required surgical drills 18 months apart in 2005 and 2006.

Nene, who missed most of last season while battling testicular cancer, did his part with an all-around performance that included 14 points, 13 rebounds and six assists.

"We just box out. We angry,’’ the Brazilian said.

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Chris Andersen, completing his first full season since serving a two-year suspension for drug use, consistently rose higher than L.A. big men Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom. He had 14 rebounds and blocked two shots that nearly brought the house down.

"Everybody’s just out there giving it their all,’’ Andersen said. "When there’s pushing and shoving going on, you’ve got to shove back.’’

Smith, whose reckless driving took the life of his best friend two years ago, scored 24 points and put the Lakers away with three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter.

"I don’t think there’s one player who didn’t struggle early on in their career and I think that’s what makes us who we are,’’ Smith said. "When we get in a dogfight like this and play a great team, we’ve got to stick together. It really helps us out.’’

Chauncey Billups, whose career didn’t take off until he was traded three times in his first three NBA seasons, provided the poise of a champion, scoring 11 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter.

"As adults in the game of life, it’s not feasible to say that everybody’s career is always up,’’ said starting guard Dahntay Jones, a defensive stopper who played only 25 games for a bad Sacramento team last season. "Everybody has trials and tribulations. We’ve got guys who have fought battles.

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"What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Guys have different sources of motivation.’’

Those sources have been plentiful for the Nuggets, who were a consensus pick to miss the playoffs after trading starting center Marcus Camby to the Los Angeles Clippers for a gallon of Kool-Aid and two pounds of beef jerky last summer.

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