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Two games in, and the first-round Western Conference series between the No. 4 seed Denver Nuggets and the No. 5 Los Angeles Clippers already feels like a seven-game classic.
After the Clippers pulled out a 105-102 victory Monday night in Game 2, the even series moves to Los Angeles and Game 3 tonight at 10 PM ET. With the victory Monday, Coach Tyronn Lue’s team continues an impressive streak. The Clippers have not lost back-to-back games since early March, a timespan measuring more than seven weeks.
The teams are now 3-3 against each other this season, including the playoffs. Let’s review both teams’ performance in Game 2 while previewing this matchup and making a Nuggets @ Clippers NBA pick.
Denver exhibited a great deal of the Clippers’ Game 1 performance in their Game 2 results. After turning Los Angeles over 20 times in the series opener, they made 20 turnovers themselves Monday night. The Nuggets also missed eight free throws, shooting just 64% (14-for-22) from the foul line.
Three-time league MVP Nikola Jokic was consistent as always, recording his 19th career playoff triple-double. Jokic, who just became the third player in NBA history to average a triple-double for the entire regular season, had 26.0 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists to pace Denver. He’s averaging 27.5 points, 11 assists and 9.5 rebounds in the series. However, he also had 6 turnovers and only shot 40% (4-for-10) from the foul line.
Jamal Murray added 23 points and 6 assists for Denver Monday night, followed by Michael Porter, Jr. with 15 points and 15 rebounds, while Aaron Gordon and Russell Westbrook each tallied 14 points. Murray is averaging 22 points in the series, and Gordon is going for 19.5 per so far.
Kawhi Leonard turned back time Monday night. The two-time NBA Finals MVP scored 39 points on 15-of-19 shooting to lead Los Angeles to the critical road win that gave the team home-court advantage. After playing in just two playoff games the past two seasons and missing 34 games in the regular season with continued issues with his surgically repaired knees, Leonard is averaging 30.5 points against the Nuggets in this series.
James Harden, who exploded for 32 points and 11 assists in Game 1, had 18 points and 7 dimes Monday. Ivica Zubac had 16 points and 12 rebounds, and Norman Powell chipped in with 13 points. Los Angeles needed every one of Leonard’s points on Monday. The 33-year-old shot 79% from the field, while the rest of the Clippers only shot 39% (26-for-66). They’ll need to get closer to the 50% they shot in Game 1 to pull out another win.
Zubac continues to make a difference in the post with two straight double-doubles. He is averaging 18.5 points and 12.5 rebounds so far.
If the Clippers can get Monday night’s version of Leonard throughout the series, the Clippers can easily pull off the mild upset over the 2023 NBA champs. The team has not advanced past the first round since reaching the Western Conference finals in 2021. Only four players (LeBron James, Danny Green, Robert Horry, and John Salley) have won NBA titles with three teams. Leonard could be the fifth.
But the Nuggets won’t go down without a fight. Not with Jokic continuing to play at his usual MVP level. The Serbian native has scored 26 or more points in 12 of his last 14 games. For Denver to keep from falling behind 2-1 in this series, Jokic will need to score 26 or more points yet again.
Brian has been writing about sports professionally for 25 years, specializing in the NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, men's college basketball and football, and soccer. He covered high school, collegiate and professional sports in the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area for two decades. His written work has appeared in several print and online publications since 1999.