Patrick Beverley, finally fit to play, and Gary Harris, who replaces Monte Morris for matchup reasons, are back in the starting five of their respective teams to start this semi-final of the Western Conference.
This first game between the Clippers and the Nuggets started off on an offensive basis. Like Jerami Grant, author of three award-winning shots on three attempts, Denver remains in the rhythm of his series against Utah to take the lead (24-18). Doc Rivers’ men are not left out, however. Kawhi Leonard and Marcus Morris (18 points, 4/5 at three points) score ten points each to give their team the advantage but a dunk from Nikola Jokic (15 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists), also brilliant in this first quarter time, equalizes in the last seconds of the first quarter time (31-31). After twelve minutes, both teams are close to 60% success on shots.
Disappointing against Dallas, the second five of the Clippers holds the road this time at the start of the second period and LA quickly takes the ascendancy on an opposing defense that lacks intensity and rigor. Pat Beverley and JaMychal Green have three lay-ups while a 3-point from Paul George (19 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists) and a dunk from Kawhi Leonard finish a 15-4 (51-40). Jamal Murray (12 points, 6 assists, 3 rebounds) momentarily stops the bleeding but LA puts a layer back. Two dunks, an alley oop, and two award-winning shots put the Nuggets at -18 while the team at Kawhi Leonard returned to the locker room with 64% success on shots (69-51)!
The Clippers’ steamroller
Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic try to wake up their troops but the aggressive defense of Los Angeles on the two spearheads of Denver transforms this game a little more into a demonstration. The contrast between the star duo from each team is stark. Leonard and George walk around as Murray and Jokic end the game 5 of 15 and 6 of 14 on shots. The MVP of the last Finals, who passes the twenty-point mark in a playoff game for the fifteenth time in a row, the longest running streak in the NBA, and his teammates even flirt with the 29-point lead before lifting the foot at the end of quarter time (91-67).
After having chained seven intense matches against the Jazz, Mike Malone then willingly waves the white flag to save the legs of his major players. Denver will only have two days to perk up before Game 2 on Saturday. If their defense had allowed them to come back from a deficit of 3-1 in the first round, this night she was absent. The Clippers have indeed scored 66 points in the racket, an advantage in this sector of +26 to end the meeting with a 57% success rate.
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