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LAKE BUENA VISTA, Florida – Jamal Murray scored 27 points, Nikola Jokic had 26 points and 18 rebounds and the Denver Nuggets never lost en route to beating the Los Angeles Clippers, 110-101, in game two of the semifinal series of the Western Conference on Saturday night (Sunday Manila time).
Gary Harris and Paul Millsap added 13 points each to help Denver tie the series at one game each.
Paul George scored 22 points for the Clippers, who got 15 from Ivica Zubac and endured a rare offensive night from Kawhi Leonard. The two-time NBA Finals MVP had 13 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, but shot just 4 of 17.
Leonard had scored at least 20 points in 27 of his last 28 playoff games and had at least 29 in the seven playoff games this season.
The Clippers trailed 23 and got close to five in the fourth quarter, but no more. Murray and Harris made 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions down the stretch to help keep the Nuggets on top, and Patrick Beverley was sent off with a couple of techniques with 1:04 to play and helped seal things.
Murray made two free throws for coaches, Grant added another for a staff who was called up and the lead was 11. George dribbled the ball off his knee on the Clippers’ next possession and the result was academic from there.
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Denver set the tone early on, starting on a 14-2 streak and finally going 44-23 before the first quarter was completed. Jokic and Murray outscored the Clippers by themselves in the first 12 minutes, 26-25.
He was 72-56 at the half, the Clippers’ third-largest intermediate deficit of the season.
The Clippers just couldn’t collect enough points at enough key moments.
There was a great run in the third quarter when Leonard was fouled and went to the line with a chance to put the Clippers within 11. Missed both free throws, Murray made a jump on Denver’s next possession, Millsap scored roughly a minute later and like Denver’s lead it was up to 83-66.
The Clippers ‘best streak finally came in the fourth, with George on a 7-0 personal streak to put the Clippers within 91-86, the Nuggets’ smallest lead since it was 7-2.
Denver responded immediately with the 10-0 run, pushing the lead to 15 on a pair of free throws from Jerami Grant with 5:22 left.
TIP-INS
Nuggets: Denver equaled the best of the season for any quarter with 44 points in the first. It was the second-best scoring quarter in NBA playoff history for the Nuggets, after scoring 47 in the fourth against the Los Angeles Lakers on May 14, 1985. … Denver edged the Clippers 45-27 in triples.
Clippers: The 23-point deficit was the Clippers’ largest in the bubble (21 against Brooklyn on Aug. 9) and the largest this season since they faced a 28-point deficit against Minnesota on Feb. 8 … Top 44 – Quarter points allowed were the fourth highest for the Clippers in any period this season. They allowed 45 three times and won two of those games.
Rising nuggets
History, of course, says that a 0-2 hole would have been very difficult for Denver. The Nuggets have never been 0-2 against in a best-of-seven in NBA history; They’ve won one of the 13 NBA series after losing the first two games, and that was Seattle’s best-of-five surprise, the top seed, in the 1994 first round. They’ve won six of the previous 19 series they’ve played. they were tied 1-1.
FAMILY TERRITORY
This is the ninth postseason series in which Doc Rivers has coached the Clippers. The Clippers have divided the first two games into eight of those nine meetings.
UNTIL NEXT TIME
The third game is Monday.
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