Furious Clippers Roll Over Denver Nuggets in Game 1, 120-97

The LA Clippers trashed Denver Nuggets in Game 1 of the West semis tonight, 120-97, displaying what are they all about. Harsh defense, lethal offense, and 48 minutes of inflicting pain to the rivals subsequently using these two approaches.

After an even first quarter, we saw the Clippers ripping Denver in the second 12 minutes, almost outscoring Michael Malone’s side. They won that sequence 38-20, setting the foundations for a massive win in the series opener.

“First quarter defense wasn’t that good but from that point on I thought we really locked in… we’ll take the effort for sure,” said Doc Rivers about that part of the match.

The second and the third quarter saw the Nuggets scoring 20 and 16 points, respectively, mostly because the Clippers increased the physicality of their defense, which was just too much for the already tired Nuggets. We need to remind you that Denver played seven games in their first-round series against the Utah Jazz.

Both Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray were under constant pressure, with several guards changing on them throughout the entire match. Eventually, they didn’t have any strength to respond to the Clippers’ runs, particularly the one in the second period.

Back then, the LA team pulled away following a 22-7 run, reaching a 58-43 lead which only grew higher until the end of the game.

“It’s obvious. They pressured us and took us out of our offense. They were more physical…it’s a good first game to see where we’re at and what type of team we’re playing, regroup and go into Game 2,” stated Denver’s toughest player in the lineup, Paul Millsap.

Jokic had 15 points, a team-high among the Nuggets, in 30 minutes of play, shooting 6-for-14 and posting just 3 boards and assists each, which is way below his standards.

Murray, who had three consecutive 40+ matches against the Jazzers, was limited to just 12 buckets in 33 minutes, shooting 5-for-15 from the floor and 2-for-8 from downtown.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYXkczkvI0Y&ab_channel=FIRSTTAKE

Other players in Denver didn’t have the capacity to take over and make anything notable in this match. Millsap had 13 points with nine boards and three steals, Jerami Grant added 12 with just one rebound, and Monte Morris ended the night with 12 points off the bench.

Even Michael Porter Jr., who is always good when it comes to scoring, couldn’t do anything. The youngster scored five points, in 23 minutes missing all of his six threes and shooting 2-for-9 from the field.

Meanwhile, the Clippers didn’t have any problems with field-goal percentage and with scoring. They posted 57.1% from the field, while Denver had just 42.2%.

Kawhi Leonard was superb with 29 points, making 12 of his 16 shots from the field. Paul George indicated that he might be on the way back to his usual performances. PG scored 19 points and grabbed seven boards with four assists. Marcus Morris who was in the middle of the media attention more because of his fouls on Luka Doncic was contributing offensively last night, having 18 points and hitting four threes in five attempts.

Montrezl Harrell had 15 buckets in 19 minutes, while Lou Williams added 10 in 24, both off the bench.

What is especially important for the Clippers is the fact that they got back Patrick Beverly, who will be a massive force in the defense.

“When you out with an injury, you come back after just watching it — I’m just humbled. Just fortunate to be out there. Can’t take nothing for granted, but it was good going out there with my brothers, competing. It was fun tonight,” Beverly said.

Game 2 is this Saturday.