Clippers Win Game 3 Against Denver 113-107, Series Heats Up Over Free-Throw Comments

LA Clippers took Game 3 of the West semifinals, beating the Denver Nuggets last night, 113-107. Even though the Nuggets had a chance to win, they would slow down in the final few minutes, allowing the Clips to turn the match upside down and post a valuable victory.

“Today, we didn’t close well,” said Nikola Jokic. “The effort needs to be there to give ourselves a chance to win a game.”

The Clippers were down 12 points during the second period, and throughout the majority of time in this match. With 8:29 to go, after Jerami Grant’s three, the Nuggets had a 7-point lead, 97-90, but in no time, an 8-0 series of the team from LA erased that.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4ZtpIZ-Xdc&ab_channel=MLGHighlights

Another similar burst consisted of seven straight points that took the Clips to 111-103, solved the game.

We need to mention that five of those seven points were from the free-throw line, with that aspect of the game being the topic following the match.

Clippers’ guard Patrick Beverly called out Jokic, saying that he puts a lot of pressure on the refs with his acting, similar to Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavs.

“Jokic presents the same thing Doncic presents, lot of flailing, puts a lot of pressure on referees to make the right calls, so I think Zu did a hell of a job. Big and-one dunk at the end, big free throws at the end.”

The Jokic responded, saying that Beverly needs to check out the statistics.

“They had 26 free-throws, we had 10,” the Serb stated.

Clippers’ Patrick Beverley on Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic after Game 3 win: “He presents the same thing Luka Doncic presents: a lot of flailing. He puts a lot of pressure on the referees to make the right calls.” pic.twitter.com/KB7Hs8dTsr

— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) September 8, 2020

In the game where he had 32 points, 12 boards and 8 assists in 39 minutes, the Joker visited the line on just four occasions. On the other side, Montrezl Harrell played 22 minutes, same as Ivica Zubac, and them two had 17 free-throws combined.

However, the main reason for LAC’s win was something different – Paul George. He would have 32 buckets with four boards and dimes, shooting 5-for-7 from three-point territory, and 12-for-18 from the field.

Kawhi Leonard once again didn’t have a good shooting night, but the two-time MVP would make his presence felt all over the court. Leonard had 23 points, 14 boards, and six assists with two blocks, one of the spectacular on Jamal Murray. His defensive effort was like always at the top level, which separates the Claw from other superstars. Even when he isn’t scoring, he’s able to solve the match with a ferocious defense.

“It was a heck of a play. It was impressive. I didn’t even know where he came from. It was a heck of a play,” Doc Rivers said.

Marcus Morris had 12 points and four boards, Montrezl Harrell 11, and Lou Williams 10.

Jamal Murray failed to deliver tonight, scoring just 14 points. He made five hits in 17 attempts and was unrecognizable for most of the contest. Even though some other Nuggets’ players played well, Murray’s points were pretty much the main reason why Denver hasn’t won.

👀 Michael Porter Jr posterizes Montrezl

“Dad likes that one!”
pic.twitter.com/UVJJTUQUQU

— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) September 8, 2020

Michael Porter Jr. scored 18 buckets, including a monster jam on Harrell. The young forward added 10 boards and three steals in 23 minutes off the bench.

Paul Millsap and Jerami Grant both had 11 points, and Gary Harris posted 10. The Nuggets were outrebounded 36-41, even though they had an advantage under the rim, where they scored 58 points, allowing 42 on the other end.

Game 4 will take place on Wednesday, and it seems that the comments about flopping and free throws created some friction between the two sides. Expect a much more intense battle.