AP News
Tyronn Lue took the unprecedented step of calling a number of players on their day off since the Los Angeles Clippers' season was in jeopardy. According to the coach, he "took a lot of temperatures" to ensure they were psychologically prepared to compete for their postseason spots.
The Clippers took his call in Game 6.
The Clippers defeated the Denver Nuggets 111-105 on Thursday night, forcing a seventh game in their first-round NBA playoff series. James Harden scored 28 points and eight assists in an incredible comeback performance, and Kawhi Leonard added 27 points.
Recover losses at the new Intuit Dome with a strong performance. Nikola Jokic scored 20 of his 25 points in the first half, but Los Angeles played dogged defense and gained control in the second half.
Lue remarked, "I give our guys credit for just sticking with it." "We performed well, and (they) don't get deflated." After the game, I told the boys that winning is about working as a team and doing whatever it takes. Those guys were completely aware of it.
Denver will host Game 7 on Saturday.
For the fourth time in five tries in the last two seasons since their 2023 championship run, the Nuggets lost a series-deciding playoff game, despite 21 points from Jamal Murray. Last season, Denver also wasted a 3-2 series lead over Minnesota in the second round.
The Nuggets haven't triumphed in a Game 7 since defeating the Clippers in the Florida bubble during the conference semifinals in 2020.
According to Murray, "they were quicker to the punch." Because they had their backs to the wall, they played with much more desperation, and you have to give them credit for that. They delivered the entire game.
After being criticized for a lackluster performance in Game 5, the 35-year-old Harden played with aggression and cunning to propel the Clippers to their comeback victory. The two-time NBA champion Leonard also stepped up, contributing five assists and ten rebounds in a forceful performance.
"I took advantage of the opportunities to be aggressive because it was win or go home," Harden remarked. We didn't want to go home, so we played one more game. There is still one game left.
Together, Ivica Zubac and Nicolas Batum put up an unexpectedly strong defense against the usually unstoppable Jokic. The three-time MVP only shot 2 for 9 in the second half and was held scoreless for 11 minutes in the third quarter.
With less than six minutes remaining, Los Angeles had a 15-point advantage. However, Denver went on an 11-2 run to cut the Clippers' lead to 107-101 before Powell sank a 3-pointer with 1:47 remaining.
The Clippers held on with defense, but Powell's crucial basket was Los Angeles' sole field goal in the last 5:57. Zubac stopped Jokic's basket attempt with 24 seconds remaining, while Russell Westbrook missed a layup under pressure and had another one blocked on consecutive occasions in the closing minutes.
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