LA Clippers vs. Denver Nuggets Game 3 Preview and Prediction
The LA Clippers suffered the first loss of their second-round series with the Denver Nuggets on Saturday night, falling 110-101 in a game that really wasn't as close as the final score reflects.
The Nuggets led wire-to-wire and went up by as many as 23 points early in the second quarter. They were the first team to land a punch, building a 44-25 lead at the end of the first quarter that LA never managed to recover from.
Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray broke the Clippers down, combining for 53 points, 21 rebounds, 10 assists, four blocks and two steals on 20-38 FG. Key role players like Gary Harris and Paul Millsap were productive as well, combining for 26 points on 6-12 3PT.
Now that the series is tied at one game apiece, Game 3 is a pivotal contest. The Clippers have yet to lose consecutive games in the playoffs so far, and a loss tonight would give Denver a 2-1 lead in the series.
If LA is going to win, they'll need to be the team that throws a punch out of the gate and maintains intensity throughout.
Key Storylines
LA: How do Kawhi, Morris and PG Respond?
After dominating the Nuggets in Game 1, LA's trio of Kawhi Leonard, Marcus Morris and Paul George seriously underperformed in Game 2. Take a look at how each player performed from the first contest to the next:
Game 1
- Leonard: 29 PTS, 2 REB, 3 AST, 2 STL, 1 BLK, 12-16 FG, 1-2 3PT, 4-4 FT
- Morris: 18 PTS, 5 REB, 2 AST, 2 STL, 7-10 FG, 4-5 3PT
- George: 19 PTS, 7 REB, 4 AST, 2 STL, 6-13 FG, 2-7 3PT, 5-7 FT
Game 2
- Leonard: 13 PTS, 10 REB, 8 AST, 3 STL, 1 BLK, 4-17 FG, 0-3 3PT, 5-7 FT
- Morris: 11 PTS, 3 REB, 3-9 FG, 2-5 3PT, 3-4 FT
- George: 22 PTS, 8 REB, 3 AST, 2 STL, 2 BLK, 7-19 FG, 4-10 3PT, 4-5 FT
You'll notice that George's numbers were pretty much consistent, while Leonard and Morris seriously struggled. After combining for 47 points on 73% shooting in Game 1, the duo scored just 24 points on 27% shooting in Game 2.
For the most part, each player took the same shots they did in Game 1 — a lot of them just rimmed out. But Denver also made an effort to play much better defense on all three players, and it paid off in a major way.
The Nuggets swarmed and doubled Leonard whenever possible, doing their best to make other players beat them. The gameplan was most effective in the second half, as Leonard failed to record a made field goal in the final two quarters and scored just four points at the stripe.
All three players must succeed if the Clippers are going to make it out of this series, and Leonard has proven that he's more than capable of leading this team. Ultimately, it's just going to take better ball movement, better shot selection and more physicality to get LA out of this rut.
Expect a screen-heavy offense and more shots in the paint from the Clippers in Game 3. And if Denver effectively shuts down the lane, it might be best to throw JaMychal Green in at center to space the floor. He was one of LA's best players last time out.
Denver: Nikola Jokic's Health
Nikola Jokic was a surprising addition to Denver's injury report on Sunday afternoon, and it was even more surprising to see him still listed there on Monday morning.
The seven-footer is officially listed as "questionable" for Game 3 with a right wrist sprain, and it seems we might not know of his playing status until we get closer to tip-off.
If he is able to play — which is expected at this point — then nothing really changes for Denver. They'll still have their best player on the floor, and he'll probably still have another terrific game.
If he isn't able to play, though, the Nuggets could be in trouble.
Jokic appeared in all 73 of Denver's games this season and has missed just 20 games throughout his five-year career. The Nuggets' next-best big is Mason Plumlee, and the Clippers always seem to have his number.
His status could change the course of this series, so it'll be something well worth monitoring as the series progresses.
Prediction
The Clippers haven't lost back-to-back playoff games yet this postseason, and it's hard to see that happening right now. The team has shown plenty of backbone in situations like these all season long, and with a roster full of consistent playoff performers, you'd have to assume that they return to the norm tonight.
Denver is not going to give up easily or let the Clippers have their way, but they struggled to handle LA's pace and intensity and Game 1. A return to that level of play should tilt the contest in LA's direction.
Clippers 116, Nuggets 110
How to Watch
The LA Clippers and Denver Nuggets will take the floor for Game 3 on Monday night at 9:00 p.m. ET. The game will air on TNT.
