Playoff basketball in Denver started with a pickaxe fight.
The Nuggets chipped and chipped away at a 15-point deficit all afternoon until Game 1 suddenly came down to a single possession, and then five more minutes, because somehow this season, it always finds a way to.
The Nuggets emerged with a 112-110 overtime win over the Clippers after Nikola Jokic iced the series opener at the foul line with 6.5 seconds remaining. Russell Westbrook made the decisive play by beelining into the path of Nicolas Batum’s inbound pass and poke-checking the ball off James Harden. With pure defensive instinct and his usual penchant for gambling, he sabotaged the Clippers’ attempt at a set play to produce a game-tying 3-pointer.
Westbrook said he knew the play from his two seasons as a Clipper.
“Defensively, he was absolutely incredible,” interim coach David Adelman said. “He was playing free safety out there.”
Regulation ended with the comprehensive Westbrook experience. Denver needed a boost from someone in the last minute after the Clippers took a one-point lead with help from two missed two free throws by Jokic. First, Jamal Murray provided a defensive spark by knocking the ball off Kawhi Leonard to force a turnover. The Nuggets had life with 34 seconds left.
Westbrook is a notorious spacing liability, but this has been one of the best 3-point shooting seasons of his career. Especially from the corners, where he is 42.5%. When he unleashes in rhythm after the catch, he’s surprisingly reliable. When he hesitates, he’s erratic.
The Clippers wanted Jokic to find him, and he did. Westbrook didn’t hesitate. The Nuggets went up by two.
“I don’t think it was just that three, though. He makes a lot of winning plays, stuff that doesn’t show up in the stat sheet,” Murray said. “I don’t just watch the shots that he makes. He was 5 of 17 and it doesn’t matter to me.”
Of course, Russ giveth and taketh. The Nuggets have understood and accepted that all year. They could only live with the results when he dribbled into nothing on the ensuing possession, preventing Denver from getting up a game-winning shot attempt. Harden had scored the tying bucket at the other end with 19 seconds left.
Jokic went for 29 points, nine rebounds and 12 assists in his first playoff game without Michael Malone as his coach. None of it was easy against the Clippers’ stout defense, led by Ivica Zubac on the block. Harden led Los Angeles with 32 points and 11 assists, while Zubac added a 21-point double-double.
But the Nuggets got crucial help across the board when they needed it. Christian Braun buried a 3-pointer with 59 seconds to go in overtime, giving them a four-point advantage. Aaron Gordon scored 25 points while guarding Leonard and Zubac and Harden throughout the game — “such a good basketball player,” Adelman said. Murray contributed 21 points, along with nine boards and seven assists, in the kind of slow-paced, short-on-scoring slugfest that is characteristic of the NBA Playoffs.
“This series has it all,” Adelman said. “If I was a fan, I’m watching this series. It’s physical. There’s play-making. There’s role players making big shots. Schematically, I thought the game was awesome as far as the adjustments that were made on both sides.”
If the fourth and fifth seeds in the Western Conference are as evenly matched as Saturday indicated, prepare for six more similar chapters in this first-round series.
First, the Nuggets briefly offered a reminder of their season-long defensive inadequacy. Harden carved them up in pick-and-rolls for the entire first quarter. Jokic didn’t cause any stress with his lackluster coverage at the level of the screen. Harden calmly found Zubac on the short roll, and a cutting Kris Dunn was often available on the baseline after Denver brought help to Zubac. Other times, when Gordon was on Harden, the smaller and shiftier guard got downhill for layups.
By the end of the quarter, The Beard was comfortable enough to drain consecutive tough step-back 3s over Braun, pouring cold water on a 10-0 Nuggets run. He had scored 15 already.
Then Denver’s defense slowly settled in. Jokic didn’t get caught in no-man’s land quite as often. Braun intercepted a pair of passes and returned both for touchdowns. Harden went into halftime with three fouls after a scoreless second frame.
Another strong close to a quarter by the hosts — 11 unanswered this time — made a shaky half feel not so bleak. Once down 51-36, they were back within four.
Nikola Jokic (15) of the Denver Nuggets pokes the ball away from Norman Powell (24) of the LA Clippers as Jamal Murray (27) and Aaron Gordon (32) watch during the second quarter at Ball Arena in Denver on Saturday, April 19, 2025. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)
But they needed a sign of life from their second- or third-leading scorer, both of whom were stuck in neutral. Murray had appeared hobbled at one point after trying to defend Leonard on a fast break. He emerged from the locker room playing more aggressively, even if most of his shots weren’t falling.
“He’s great,” Adelman said of Murray’s health before opening tip. “He looks great. I feel great about him looking great.”
Meanwhile, Porter went scoreless on his last three attempts after hitting a corner 3-pointer on Denver’s first possession of the series. The Clippers helped off other, lesser shooters and often stayed home on him. He was a minus-eight in 26 minutes.
Westbrook played 34 minutes off the bench — Denver’s seventh and eighth men combined to play 19 — and scored seven points in the last four minutes of regulation. The ex-Clipper snatched an offensive rebound with 3:37 to go and converted the second chance to give Denver its first lead since the first quarter.
Originally Published: April 19, 2025 at 4:44 PM MDT
