INGLEWOOD, Calif. — James Harden has 28 points and eight assists on a bounceback standout performance, while Kawi Leonard adds 27 points and the Los Angeles Clippers forced their seventh game in the first round of the NBA Playoffs Series with a 111-105 victory with the Denver Nuggets on Thursday night.
Norman Powell scored 24 points for the Clippers. The Clippers rebounded from a back-to-back loss in an impressive effort at the New In-Two-Dome.
Los Angeles took control in the second half while tenaciously defending with Nikola Djokic, who scored 20 of 25 points in the first half.
“We just praise us for keeping it,” Clippers coach Tyrone Lou said. “[They] Don't shrink, and we did a good job. …I told everyone after the game, it's a team and do whatever it takes to win. They fully understood that. ”
Game 7 is Saturday in Denver.
Jamal Murray scored 21 points for the Nuggets. The Nuggets have lost a playoff game that closely relies on the series with five tries in the last two seasons since the 2023 championship run.
Denver also blew the 3-2 series lead in Minnesota in the second round last season.
The Nuggets have not won Game 7 since 2020, when they kicked the Clippers out of the conference semi-finals in Florida's bubble.
The Clippers were pushed into this comeback victory by 35-year-old Harden. Harden, 35, played aggressively and skillfully after being criticised for his passive efforts in Game 5.
Leonard also stepped up, with the two-time NBA champion adding 10 rebounds and five assists on a definitive outing.
“It was a victory or a return home, so I had the opportunity to be offensive and I took them,” Harden said. “One more game… We didn't want to go home. Another game remains.”
Ivica Zubac and Nicolas Batum worked together for an incredibly effective defensive effort against the typically vulnerable Jokic.
The three MVPs were held scoreless for 11 minutes in the third quarter, with only two-nineths of the second half.
Los Angeles played in under six minutes with a 15 lead, but Denver made an 11-2 run and trimmed the Clippers' lead to 107-101 before Powell filled in for a three-pointer with 1:47 left.
Powell's clutch bucket was Los Angeles' only field goal at the final 5:57, but the clips solidified on defense.
Russell Westbrook missed the layup under pressure, blocking consecutive possessions in the final minutes of another layup, and Zubac blocked Jokic's attempts to layup with 24 seconds left.
After falling into the hole in the 2-1 series and blowing a 22-point lead in the fourth quarter of Game 4, the Nuggets won the Intuit Dome five days ago with an incredible dunk from Aaron Gordon at the buzzer.
Denver got its momentum into a comfortable game five victory with 43 points from Murray.
After the Clippers folded the stretch on Tuesday, Lou took the unusual step of checking in with the players on the off-day, saying “it took a lot of temperatures” and made sure they were ready to fight mentally for their playoff lives.
The Clippers team, who entered the playoffs with eight consecutive wins, answered Lou's call in Game 6 to 21 people.
