A few less errant passes and a few more disciplined shots in the series opener and the Clippers might be heading home with a 2-0 lead in their first-round playoff series with the Denver Nuggets.
Or, as close as these two teams are, the Clippers could easily be down two games in the best-of-seven series.
Instead, the Clippers swiped home-court advantage on Monday night, grinding out a 105-102 victory in front of a hostile crowd at Denver’s Ball Arena. Clippers star Kawhi Leonard scored a season-high 39 points in a stunning performance that evened the series at one game apiece.
“We could be down 2-0 or we could be up 2-0. I think it’s a great (series). We had a great two games,” Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic said after posting a triple-double on Monday. “If you’re a basketball fan, I think this is the best basketball you can watch. On both ends, even mistakes, even big plays.
“Kawhi had an amazing game … and I think if you’re a basketball fan it’s a pleasure to watch.”
Leonard, who has scored 61 points in the first two games, said he is simply focused on the “next play and trying to win.”
The Clippers will need to maintain that kind of laser focus as the series shifts to the Intuit Dome, where the Clippers are 30-11 this season, winning 11 of their final 12 regular-season home games. Games 3 and 4 will be played at the Clippers’ glitzy new Inglewood arena, starting Thursday at 7 p.m.
The noise inside the Intuit Dome is expected to be raucous and loud, especially from the vociferous fan-filled section called “The Wall,” which has given the Clippers an edge when opponents shoot free throws.
According to Sportico, opponents have shot 74.8% from the free-throw line against the Clippers overall this season, the second-worst mark in the NBA. That percentage drops to a league-worst 73.6% when shooting in front of “The Wall.”
And if Leonard puts on another show or James Harden or Norman Powell go off, and the Clippers take the lead in the series, the arena could be rocking.
The Nuggets went 24-17 on the road during the regular season and lost to the Clippers in their only matchup at the Intuit Dome in early December.
Don’t expect the Nuggets to roll over just because they’re now the ones playing in a hostile environment, though. Nuggets guard Jamaal Murray said they will be ready.
“We definitely had a chance to win the game but now our minds switch, and we have to go to L.A. with an attacking mindset and get one of these games,” he said.
Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said he liked the way his team didn’t back down or fold after getting down by double-digits on Monday. He added that the Clippers adopted a “grit-and-grind” mentality in the second half.
“Couple calls didn’t go our way, but we stayed with it and we stayed poised,” Lue said. “We weren’t making shots (I told them to get back) in transition and guard the basketball, be physical and just go take care of yourself. Like I said, we made some big shots down the stretch.
“A total team effort and that is who we got to be every night.”
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