2 weeks Ago By Dan Treacy
The Clippers entered the playoffs as one of the NBA's hottest teams, and they looked like it for a half on Saturday. L.A.
spent much of the first half of Game 1 against the Nuggets in control on the road, and Tyronn Lue's squad nearly survived a second-half push from Denver. In the end, though, the Nuggets and their raucous crowd prevailed. A chaotic finish to regulation gave way to a calmer overtime, which saw Denver get contributions from across the board and survive for a series-opening victory.
Here's a look at how the Nuggets pulled ahead and won Game 1 on Saturday. 📲 Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp How Nuggets beat Clippers in Game 1 The Nuggets just kept coming as the fourth quarter went on, putting pressure on the Clippers until L.A.
finally broke. One late mistake aside, Russell Westbrook was the key for Denver. The former MVP put the Nuggets in front three times in the final four minutes, including a massive 3-pointer with 23 seconds remaining to give the team a 98-96 lead.
WESTBROOK TRIPLE. HARDEN LAYUP. Two veteran stars go back-and-forth to send Game 1 of Clippers/Nuggets to OVERTIME 🔥🔥 5 extra minutes coming up on ESPN! pic.
twitter.com/yUoVB9DLmL The Westbrook experience couldn't just end there — after a Jokic goaltend allowed James Harden the game on the other end, the fourth quarter ended when Westbrook failed to get a shot off and lost the ball in the closing seconds. The Nuggets' defense, which was a major concern in the regular season, locked in down the stretch, allowing just six Clippers points over the final 4:41 of regulation.
Denver needed five more minutes to win, but the game wouldn't get to overtime without some critical stops. NBA PLAYOFFS HQ: Live NBA scores | NBA playoff schedule | NBA playoff bracket It might have looked like the Nuggets were just Nikola Jokic and a ragtag bunch for much of the season, but Denver didn't rely too heavily on Jokic in overtime. Aaron Gordon, Jamal Murray and Christian Braun all made field goals, with Braun delivering the difference-maker when he hit a 3-pointer to extend the Nuggets' lead to two possessions with a minute left.
CLUTCH CHRISTIAN BRAUN 🔥 Gives the Nuggets a 4-point lead with under a minute to go in OT on ESPN! LAC-DEN | Game 1 pic.twitter.com/ArmmiptVyU While a turnover gave the Clippers a chance in the final minute, Westbrook shifted momentum back to Denver's way by forcing a turnover.
RUSSELL WESTBROOK FORCES THE TURNOVER!! NUGGETS WIN GAME 1 🔥 pic.twitter.com/nWOpRyxShg The Nuggets will hope the victory is a turning point after the firing of Michael Malone and the spark for a deep playoff run under interim coach David Adelman, but comeback wins are nothing new for Denver on the biggest stage; Saturday marked the Nuggets' eighth playoff comeback of 15 or more points since 2019.
MORE: Revisiting why Nuggets fired Michael Malone Nuggets vs. Clippers schedule Denver leads 1-0 Date Game Time (ET) April 19 Game 1: Nuggets 112 , Clippers 110 (OT) — April 21 Game 2 at Denver 10 p.m.
April 24 Game 3 at Los Angeles 10 p.m. April 26 Game 4 at Los Angeles 6 p.
m. April 29 Game 5* at Denver TBA May 1 Game 6* at Los Angeles TBA May 3 Game 7* at Denver TBA.
