DENVER — In a series of attrition, the Denver Nuggets have survived in emphatic fashion.
The Nuggets opened an 11-point halftime lead over the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday then raced to a 120-101 Game 7 win to advance out of the first round. The blowout caps a grueling, competitive series that swung back and forth throughout.
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In the end, the Nuggets had more gas in the tank and will advance to face the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals. The series will feature a showdown of MVP finalists Nikola Jokić and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
‘There is a point of exhaustion’
The Clippers looked like the fresher team early en route to a 26-21 first-quarter lead as neither Nikola Jokić nor Jamal Murray managed to make a field goal. But the Nuggets withstood the early run and closed the half with a 37-21 second quarter that ultimately proved to be the knockout blow.
There was no second-half surge from a Clippers team that took control of a Game 6 win thanks to halftime adjustments and a 10-point third-quarter advantage. Back home in the altitude of Denver, the Nuggets kept on the gas after halftime and didn’t allow a Clippers rally to take hold.
DENVER, CO – MAY 3: Nikola Jokic (15) of the Denver Nuggets talks to Christian Braun (0) and Russell Westbrook (4) during the second quarter against the LA Clippers at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado on Saturday, May 3, 2025. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)
(AAron Ontiveroz via Getty Images)
“We’ve played a lot of these games,” Adelman said before the game. “You have to understand, there is a point of exhaustion in these games, especially with the quick turnaround on playing later in L.A. and coming back here and playing a somewhat earlier game, playing seven games total.
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“When there’s downs in the games, that’s when everybody has to be closest together, keep each other going. You have to find energy from one another.”
Nuggets thrive despite slow starts from Jokić, Murray
The Nuggets withstood an early down from their two most important players. Early in the second quarter, Jokić (0 for 5) and Murray (0 for 4) were a combined 0 for 9 from the field. Yet the Nuggets held a 31-28 lead, buoyed by a strong start from Christian Braun and a defensive effort that the Clippers struggled to counter.
Jokić finally found the basket on his sixth field goal attempt of the game, a 3-pointer that gave Denver a 34-0 advantage. Murray’s first basket didn’t arrive until a layup with 3:39 left in the quarter extended the Denver lead to 48-43. Once both found their footing, the Clippers were outmatched.
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Denver entered halftime with a 58-47 lead, and Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue opened the third quarter with the same second-half adjustment as he did in Game 6 — putting Nicolas Batum in the third-quarter starting lineup. But the veteran wing’s versatility on both sides of the ball was of no help Saturday night.
Nuggets exorcise demons of Timberwolves collapse
A 7-3 Nuggets run to start the third quarter prompted a quick timeout from Lue. A Michael Porter Jr. 3-pointer less than three minutes into the quarter extended the run to 15-3 and the Nuggets lead to 73-50.
A Denver crowd that watched the Nuggets blow a 15-point halftime lead in a Game 7 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves last season erupted. There would be no second-half collapse this time and no sudden, shocking exit from the postseason.
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As they did in multiple games this series, the Nuggets won without a big game from Jokić — by his MVP standards, at least. Murray was also relatively subdued. Instead, it was a team effort from a Nuggets lineup that’s been hounded with questions about whether it’s strong enough around Jokić to compete at the highest level.
On Saturday, it was as Braun set the early pace and six different players scored in double figures.
Next up for the Nuggets and the NBA is matchup that will have talking heads salivating. They won’t often square off one-on-one on the court. But the debate over the MVP candidacy between Jokić and Gilgeous-Alexander has been one of the hottest of the NBA season.
The votes are in for the actual award, which will be announced later in the postseason. But in the eyes of many fans, the debate will be settled on the court in the second round.
