INGLEWOOD, Calif. — James Harden had 28 factors and eight assists in an excellent bounce-back efficiency, Kawhi Leonard added 27 factors and the Los Angeles Clippers compelled a seventh sport of their first-round NBA playoff sequence with a 111-105 victory over the Denver Nuggets in Sport 6 on Thursday night time.
Norman Powell scored 24 factors for the Clippers, who rebounded from back-to-back losses with a powerful effort at new Intuit Dome.
Los Angeles took management within the second half whereas enjoying tenacious protection on Nikola Jokic, who scored 20 of his 25 factors within the first half.
“I give our guys credit for just staying with it,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue mentioned. “[They] don’t get deflated, and we did a good job. … I told the guys after the game, it’s about being a team and whatever it takes to win. Those guys totally understood it.”
Sport 7 is Saturday in Denver.
Jamal Murray scored 21 factors for the Nuggets, who misplaced a possible series-clinching playoff sport for the fourth time in 5 tries over the previous two seasons since their 2023 championship run.
Denver additionally blew a 3-2 sequence lead over Minnesota within the second spherical final season.
The Nuggets haven’t gained a Sport 7 since 2020, once they ousted the Clippers from the convention semifinals within the Florida bubble.
The Clippers have been pushed to this comeback win by the 35-year-old Harden, who performed aggressively and craftily after receiving criticism for a passive effort in Sport 5.
Leonard additionally stepped up, with the two-time NBA champion including 10 rebounds and 5 assists in an assertive outing.
“It was win or go home, so there were opportunities to be aggressive, and I took them,” Harden mentioned. “One more game. … We didn’t want to go home. We’ve got one more game left.”
Ivica Zubac and Nicolas Batum teamed up for a surprisingly efficient defensive effort on the sometimes unguardable Jokic.
The three-time MVP was held scoreless for 11 minutes within the third quarter and went solely 2 for 9 within the second half.
Los Angeles led by 15 with lower than six minutes to play, however Denver made an 11-2 run to trim the Clippers’ result in 107-101 earlier than Powell buried a 3-pointer with 1:47 left.
Powell’s clutch bucket was Los Angeles’ solely subject objective within the closing 5:57, however the Clips held on with protection.
Russell Westbrook missed a layup below strain and had one other layup blocked on consecutive possessions within the closing minutes, and Zubac blocked a layup try by Jokic with 24 seconds left.
After falling right into a 2-1 sequence gap after which blowing a 22-point lead within the fourth quarter of Sport 4, the Nuggets nonetheless gained at Intuit Dome 5 days in the past on Aaron Gordon’s unimaginable dunk on the buzzer.
Denver rode that momentum to a snug win in Sport 5 with 43 factors from Murray.
After the Clippers folded down the stretch Tuesday, Lue took the uncommon step of checking in together with his gamers by cellphone on their off day, saying he “took a lot of temperatures” to ensure they have been mentally able to combat for his or her playoff lives.
The Clippers staff that stormed into the playoffs with eight straight wins and 18 in 21 answered Lue’s calls in Sport 6.
