The last time the Clippers beat the Nuggets in a 7-game playoff series was 2006, when the Clippers beat the Nuggets 4-1. The Clippers showed promise in the first quarter, building a 5-point lead, but found themselves down 10 points at the end of the first half. Both teams had double-digit leads erased throughout this playoff series. The Nuggets kept their feet on the gas, increasing their lead to 35 points in the second half of the game.
The Clippers, known for their 3-point-making ability, went 8 for 27 in the game, while the Nuggets made 11 for 29. The Clippers’ 3 and D players’ shots looked flat because their legs weren’t there to make the shots after a hard-fought victory against the Nuggets to win game 6. The Nuggets’ starting five players scored double-digits in the game Aaron Gordon led the team with 22 points, Christian Braun 21, Nikola Jokic 16, Jamal Murray 16, and Michael Porter Jr had 15. The Nuggets’ bench played a key role, scoring 30 points to secure the game 7 win.
The former LA Clipper Russell Westbrook sent his former teammates home, leaving the arena with something to think about all summer. The team that believed in him just knocked the Clippers out of the playoffs. Russell Westbrook’s thunderous slam dunk and hanging on the rim gained him a technical foul, which Westbrook turned to the crowd to let the fans know it was time for them to take their behinds home because this series was over.
Russell Westbrook scored 16 points, 5 steals, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists off the bench in this game, but it was the hustle plays that kept the Nuggets players and fans energized to push their lead to 35 points, erasing any opportunity the Clippers had to win the game. James Harden was a no-show in this game, scoring 7 points on 2 of 8 shooting and 1 of 4 behind the three-point line. Kwahi Leonard went 2 of 4 behind the three-point line, scoring 22 points. The Clippers’ bench scored 41 points, but the stars were absent in a must-win game to move on to the next round of the playoffs.
The Denver Nuggets will face off against the Oklahoma City Thunder Monday, 5/5/25, where Russell Westbrook started his NBA career. This will be another interesting playoff series to watch.