The Denver Nuggets were wobbling and in complete disarray after losing by 34 points in Game 3 of their first-round series against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Their plight has changed quickly with back-to-back victories, and now the Nuggets will try to close out the Western Conference series when they face the Clippers in Game 6 on Thursday night at Inglewood, Calf.
Denver won Game 4 on Aaron Gordon’s dunk at the buzzer and then watched Jamal Murray go ballistic with 43 points on Tuesday night in a 131-115 home win that gave the Nuggets the 3-2 series lead.
Murray drained eight 3-pointers while turning the arena into his personal shooting gallery. He made 17 of 26 shots overall and also had seven assists, five rebounds and three steals.
“It sure is nice to have these nights where it’s his show,” Denver interim coach David Adelman said. “We needed it in a big game.”
Murray has six career 40-point efforts in the postseason, which is a franchise record.
“When he’s aggressive, we’re a different team,” said Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook, who added 21 points off the bench. “When he’s got that swagger and he’s going out and competing at the level he did (Tuesday night), we’re a tough team to beat.”
Denver took the series lead despite three-time MVP Nikola Jokic scoring just 13 points on 4-of-13 shooting. But he did contribute 12 assists and 10 rebounds for his 21st career playoff triple-double.
“Holding Joker to 13 points and losing the game is tough but that’s how they beat you,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. “If you worry about him too much, other guys can beat you. But I just thought Jamal Murray was excellent.”
Los Angeles received stellar outings from Ivica Zubac (27 points on 11-of-15 shooting) and Kawhi Leonard (20 points, 11 assists, nine rebounds) in Game 5, but the team is hoping for a re-emergence from James Harden in Thursday’s elimination game.
Harden averaged 20 points over the first three games, but it dropped to 13 over the past two contests. He was just 3 of 9 from the floor for 11 points in Game 5.
“I think Denver made up their mind that they’re going to take him out of the series,” Lue said of Harden’s plight. “And they’re doing a good job. I’ve got to do a better job of finding ways to get him open and to get him space.”
Leonard is known for big playoff performances and has scored 20 or more points in each game of the series while averaging 25.2. His best showing was 39 (on 15-of-19 shooting) in Game 2.
Including the regular season, Leonard has scored at least 20 in each of his past 20 appearances.
But the two-time NBA Finals MVP isn’t consumed with his scoring. He’s more concerned about figuring out how to keep the series alive.
“Taking it one possession at a time and going out there and trying to start the game off in a good way,” Leonard said. “Stay poised, limit mistakes and play confidently.”
The Clippers are looking to avoid their third straight first-round exit. They lost in five games to the Phoenix Suns in 2023 and in six games to the Dallas Mavericks last season.
The Nuggets won the NBA title in 2023 before losing to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round last season.
Murray won’t be thinking about a scoring encore when he arrives at the arena on Thursday. He just wants to see his team post a series-clinching victory.
“Game 6 is one of the hardest ones,” Murray said. “That team is fighting for their life and playing in front of their home crowd. We’re going to have to bring it for all 48 minutes.”
