The Denver Nuggets overpowered the Los Angeles Clippers 120-101 in a decisive Game 7 on Saturday, advancing to the second spherical of the NBA playoffs to face top-seeded Oklahoma City within the Western Conference.
Aaron Gordon scored 22 factors, Christian Braun added 21 and NBA Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic had 16 factors, 10 rebounds and eight assists for the Nuggets, whose balanced assault and stout protection have been an excessive amount of for the Clippers.
The Clippers – who roared into the playoffs profitable 18 of their final 21 regular-season video games – had fended off elimination with a convincing game-six victory on Thursday.
But any momentum that they had evaporated amid one other dismal efficiency from James Harden.
Harden scored simply seven factors, connecting on two of his eight shot makes an attempt.
Kawhi Leonard scored 22 factors to steer the Clippers, who emerged from a decent first quarter with a 26-21 lead.
It briefly appeared like it could be one other shut sport between groups that completed the common season with similar 50-32 information.
But the Nuggets put up 37 factors within the second quarter to grab management and continued to pile it on within the third, when a 17-0 Nuggets run pushed the result in 75-50.
The Nuggets led 93-66 going into the fourth quarter, and even with Jokic sitting down after he was whistled for his third, fourth and fifth fouls late within the third interval, the Clippers might make no significant inroads.
The Nuggets led by as many as 35 factors. They out-scored the Clippers 54-42 within the paint and with a 46-36 benefit in rebounds grabbed 22 second-chance factors to the Clippers’ 10.
“Everybody came to play,” mentioned Nuggets guard Jamal Murray, who scored 16 factors. “Everybody was ready, the home crowd was into it and we were able to get the job done.”
Russell Westbrook rubbed it in towards his former staff, coming off the bench to attain 16 factors with 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals.
He underscored his message halfway by way of the fourth quarter, developing with a steal, racing for a dunk after which hanging on the rim to purposely draw a technical foul and utilizing the second to rile up the group much more.
The Nuggets have superior regardless of a tumultuous end to their common season, with David Adelman taking up as interim head coach when Michael Malone was sacked with simply three video games left.
Thunder up subsequent
They additionally went a good distance towards erasing the reminiscence of a game-seven collapse within the second spherical final season, after they blew a 15-point halftime lead and misplaced to the Minnesota Timberwolves to see their NBA title protection finish.
Jokic mentioned that disappointment was the very last thing on his thoughts on Saturday.
“I don’t think about failures,” he mentioned. “I do not take into consideration one thing that occurred one yr in the past.
“My whole focus, my whole energy was at this moment, to be present and try to beat a really, really talented team.”
Denver will seemingly should step it up much more towards the Thunder, who gained a league-best 68 video games and swept the Memphis Grizzlies in 4 video games within the first spherical.
The collection will pit MVP finalists Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander towards one another.
Murray predicted “a good hard-nosed battle” towards the Thunder – which begins with sport one in Oklahoma City on Monday.
“It’s going to be a fast-paced game, it’s going to be high energy in both arenas and it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
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