LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS VS DENVER NUGGETS
1.71
TOTAL POINTS (INCL OVERTIME) - UNDER 215.5
The series is tied at one all after the first two games at high altitude in Denver. The next two games will be played in Los Angeles at sea level. The Clippers fans are excited for the first ever playoff game at the Intuit Dome. These two evenly matched teams have delivered two intense and physical games so far.
Kahwi scored 39 points in game two of the series and he was the hero of the win for The LA Clippers. He made 15 out of his 19 shot attempts. Leonard took a lot of tough shots and made them in his impressive display of effective playoff ball. Denver is having a real difficult time guarding Kahwi. He made four out of seven shots from downtown.
Kahwi had five dimes, three boards, two steals, one block and only one turnover. He was a plus six in the game that they won by 105-102. Leonard had 20 turnovers in game one and was not the best version of himself. What a revenge game this was on his behalf. Leonard was the best player on the court. Kawhi spoke to nba.com after the game and said: “I’m just happy that I can be on the floor and feeling well. It just feels good to me, no matter how the game goes.“
The point guard James Harden had 18 points and seven dimes. Ivica Zubac had another double double with 16 points and 12 rebounds. He also made four assists. The pick and roll with Harden and The Croatian big man is effective. Zubac is an excellent defender for Nikola Jokic. Ivica has done a great job of guarding him so far in the series, in particular game two.
There is a reason for the fact that Ivica is nominated for the most improved player award this season. Zubac and Jokic share the same agent and they played for the same ball club as youngsters. Mega from Belgrade, not at the same time though. Norman Powell was solid and he made a couple of big shots in the game. The experienced head coach of the Los Angeles Clippers, Tye Lue, did outcoach David Adelman in this game. The former lead assistant of the Nuggets have only been their head coach for five games (since Malone got fired).
The big man from Sombor, Serbia was not himself in the second game of the series. Jokic had a decent statline with his high standards. 26 points, eleven boards and ten dimes (the 19th playoff triple double off his career). But Nikola Jokic was not comfortable out there, which is unusual. He did not control the game like we've gotten used to over the past 6-7 years of his career. Jokic had seven out of Denver’s 20 turnovers.
Adelman did not rest him at all in the second game of the series. Jokic played more than 43 minutes. At times he has looked very tired in this series and perhaps the Nuggets are paying a price for all the minutes he was on the floor during the regular season. The first thing Jokic needs to do is to solve the Zubac puzzle. Jokic told nba.com the following after the game: “The series is competitive. If you are a fan of Basketball. It's a must watch“.
The small forward had a much better game two. He did close this one but had a costly turnover at the end of the game that potentially cost Denver the win. He apologized to all of his teammates after the game. The worst part of it all is that Porter Jr hurt his shoulder in the same situation. The Nuggets need the spacing and shooting from MPJ. Jamal Murray had 23 points and six dimes. Russel Westbrook had 14 points off the bench.
The Denver Nuggets were sloppy throughout game two and they missed eight crucial shots from the free throw line (Jokic missed four of them). David Adelman told nba.com after the game: “It was a killer for us. You can not miss eight free throws in a game like this”. Not if you want to win the game. Will The Nuggets bounce back or will the Clippers take control of the series in the Intuit Dome tonight?
