The Nuggets take a 1-0 series lead over the Clippers after a thrilling overtime win Saturday afternoon. Denver came back from a 15-point deficit in the first half, and stole a game from a Clippers team that looked in control for most of the afternoon. But it was the Nuggets, led by Nikola Jokić’s near triple-double (29 points, 12 assists, 9 rebounds), that came out on top.
Aaron Gordon and Jamal Murray provided Jokić with some much-needed support, and overcame a poor first half where the Nuggets shot just 30.8% from 3-point range. Russell Westbrook also came up clutch on a number of occasions, including a huge 3-pointer to tie the game up near the end of the fourth quarter, and causing a Clippers turnover with 9.6 seconds left, stopping L.A. from tying up the game.
The Clippers have got to be kicking themselves for losing this one after being in control for most of the afternoon. James Harden and Kawhi Leonard turned in vintage performances, combining for 54 points, but Ivica Zubac did his part with 21 points and 13 rebounds, but ultimately the Nuggets were more aggressive down the stretch, fighting for offensive boards and hitting big shots to pull out a win.
It was a tough loss for L.A., but this game showed us we’re in store for a thrilling series. This matchup could go the distance to seven games, and up next will be Game 2 Monday night.
Four quarters wasn’t enough for Denver and L.A. to decide a winner so we’re headed for 5 more minutes of action. The Nuggets came back from a 15-point first half deficit, and had a chance to win it at the buzzer, but couldn’t get a shot off, so free basketball it is.
Props to the Clippers for the tough defense to force Russell Westbrook into not being able to get a shot off here.
The Nuggets have clawed back from a 15-point first-half deficit to be down by four points against the Clippers in Game 1. Nikola Jokic is nearing another triple-double, while Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon have stepped up in the second half to turn this into what should be a thrilling finish in Denver.
The Nuggets started to turn thing around at the end of the second quarter, cutting what was a 15-point Clippers lead to 4. It was the momentum Denver needed after a first half that primarily favored the Clippers thanks to James Harden and Kawhi Leonard who had 15 and 14 points, respectively.
Defense was the main culprit for the Nuggets, who struggled to contain Harden in the first quarter. Across the board, Denver just allowed the Clippers to get whatever they wanted in the paint. The defense tightened up down the stretch of the first half, but the Nuggets still need more offensive output from guys not named Nikola Jokic if they want to stand a chance in this game.
Denver closed the half on a 14-2 run, so perhaps that will be the spark needed to get them going in the second half.
James Harden has 15 of L.A.’s 35 points, and so far, the Nuggets have no answer defensively for him. He’s 6 of 11 from the floor and has the Clippers out to an 8-point lead after one quarter. He topped that first-quarter performance with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer for the cherry on top. We may be in store for a signature Harden performance.
The Clippers are having their way on offense in Game 1. Harden is up to nine points, and L.A. is outscoring Denver 22-4 in the paint. It’s been easy pick-and-rolls and drive-and-kicks for the Clippers, and so far the Nuggets haven’t figured out how to slow L.A. down. It’s a long game, but so far, it’s been all Clippers to start.
