We expected a good clash between the Nuggets and Clippers but the match quickly turned into a setback in favor of Denver. Nikola Jokic won 122-91 for the armband.
For the box score for this match, it’s here.
And let’s face it, we can say that TNT didn’t have a great nose for suspense. After the opening demonstration of the Celtics, the famous American channel had opted for a tempting duel between the Nuggets of Nikola Jokic and the Clippers of the duo Paul George – Kawhi Leonard. Very heavy on paper but in fact a suspense that will die before the interval. On fire from the start, Denver players rolled out the steamroller against LA Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon quickly laid the groundwork for what would become a professional slaughter. Unsustainable offensively, the Nuggets also allow themselves to completely suffocate a completely harmless Clippers team. A hail of long shots from the Colorado players quickly lifted the score. We are already at +34 at the break! And the craziest thing about all of this is that Nikola Jokic only scored… 3 points.
This is already too much for Tyronn Lue, who doesn’t even bother sending off his starters in the second half. Will he save his players before a consecutive penalty? It’s hard to say but the second half won’t allow the Angelinos to get back on top. In fact, Denver will go up to 43 points ahead! The players at the bottom of the City of Angels bench will have some late-game beatings reduced but there will be nothing to salvage from this matchup for Crypto.com Arena residents. Fourth consecutive defeat for LA and this hurts…
On the Denver side, however, the smiles are out and rightly so. The Nuggets starred their basketball on both sides of the court, blasted their opponent, while sweeping the executives late in the game. A good omen given that tomorrow precipitates a new test with the arrival of Donovan Mitchell’s Cavs.
The matchup between the Nuggets and the Clippers will have turned into a disappointment in favor of the gold diggers. Another quality performance by the Western Conference leader, who defends the primacy without forcing.
