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Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press
The Los Angeles Clippers have yet to lose two straight games in these playoffs and were not about to start on Monday.
LA defeated the Denver Nuggets 113-107 in Game 3 of its Western Conference second-round playoff series at Walt Disney World Resort and took a 2-1 lead in the process. Paul George and Kawhi Leonard spearheaded the victorious effort, helping their team rebound from a loss in Game 2.
An impressive performance by Nikola Jokic was not enough for the Nuggets, who will now have to win three of the next four to advance to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2009.
Notable player stats
- Paul George, F, LAC: 32 PTS, 4 REB, 4 AST, 2 STL, 12 of 18 FG, 5 of 7 3PT
- Kawhi Leonard, F, LAC: 23 PTS, 14 REB, 6 AST, 2 BLK
- Nikola Jokic, C, DEN: 32 PTS, 12 REB, 8 AST, 7 TO
- Michael Porter Jr., F, DEN: 18 PTS, 10 REB, 3 STL
- Jamal Murray, G, DEN: 14 PTS, 9 AST, 4 REB, 2 STL, 5 of 17 FG
Kawhi, PG-13 takes over the Clippers
Leonard’s status as a dominant player in the playoffs is already assured considering he has an NBA Finals MVP for the Toronto Raptors and San Antonio Spurs. There are few stronger players in the league, and once again he has been a force in these playoffs.
Except for Game 2.
He finished that loss with just 13 points on 4 of 17 shots and was unable to score in the fourth quarter. It was the first time he had scored fewer than 29 points in all of the playoffs and it put him in the spotlight going into Monday’s contest.
Kawhi fared much better off the gates in Game 3 as he refused to settle for low-percentage jump shots, worked his way into the lane, hit his patented mid-range shots, and spawned the offense as a facilitator as well when Denver collapsed on him. .
George took advantage of the resulting space and quickly found his hit, which was crucial for the Clippers considering how inconsistent their No. 2 pick in the playoffs has been. The all-star couple combined for 31 points at halftime, keeping their side on it when none of their teammates were over six.
George also kept the Clippers afloat with a solid third quarter and helped counter an incredible flurry of play from Jokic.
Staying for time belonged to the two stars.
In the final five minutes, Leonard sent a perfect pass to Ivica Zubac for a 1-on-1 dunk, connected from mid-range, found Montrezl Harrell with another beautiful pass and hit Jamal Murray’s dunk attempt with just his middle finger. . George drew a key charge on Murray and provided a stifling defense as LA took the lead with a 23-10 run to win the game.
A bad finish ruins Jokic’s efforts
While Murray’s matchups with Donovan Mitchell defined the first round, this series is a battle of duos.
Murray and Jokic combined for 27 points in the Game 1 loss when Leonard and George outscored them, but they came back with 53 points combined in the Game 2 win despite Los Angeles being able to throw their two side stars and Patrick Beverley. to Murray.
The Clippers don’t have as many elite defenders to match Jokic, who wasted no time doing a bit of everything on triple-double watch outside the gates. He worked pick-and-rolls, found precision passing cutters, and demonstrated a smooth touch of his own shot, which in turn opened up more passing lanes for him to find his teammates.
ESPN statistics and information @ESPNStatsInfo
Nikola Jokic is the third player with at least 25 Pts, 10 Reb and 8 Ast in 3 quarters of a playoff game since play-by-play tracking began in 1996-97. The others who reached those marks are Steve Nash (May 18, 2005) and LeBron James (3 cases). https://t.co/KwnoWLlChD
Michael Porter Jr. capitalized on that space by reaching the basket and hitting multiple 3s as Denver built a 12-point lead in the first half. He also invited fans to one of the best highlights of the bubble by flying over Harrell for a one-handed hit in the third quarter.
That might not even have been the most impressive part of the third quarter for the Nuggets, as Jokic was unstoppable during a three-minute stretch that saw him hit a jump shot, unleashing an incredible all-court pass to Jerami Grant with a hand. bounce and drill three triples to extend your team’s advantage to double digits.
However, everything disappeared in times of crisis.
Denver scored 10 points in the final eight minutes as its lead faded. Jokic hesitated on a major three and couldn’t control the competition like he did early on, and Leonard’s blocking of Murray’s dunk was a microcosm of overall struggles for the guard as the Nuggets stars couldn’t follow the lead. Los Angeles rhythm.
Whats Next?
Game four of the series is Wednesday at 9 pm ET.
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