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Jokic’s rise in the second half propels the Nuggets to beat the Clippers
NIKOLA Jokic had 34 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists, and the Denver Nuggets overcame a 19-point deficit in the second half in a 111-98 win over the Los Angeles Clippers to force a Game 7 in their Conference semifinal series. West near Orlando.
It was the Nuggets’ fifth consecutive victory in an elimination game in these playoffs. They will need a sixth to advance to the final of the conference.
But Denver’s stamina was present for its second straight rally after the break.
The Nuggets outscored the second-seeded Clippers 64-35 in the second half, and held Los Angeles to 26.3% shooting. That included a 10-game losing streak at Los Angeles in the third quarter, helping Denver trim a 19-point deficit before taking control in the final period.
Jokic scored 11 of his points in the fourth quarter, including consecutive triples to give the Nuggets a 91-84 lead with 8:14 to play. Later, a Jokic jump shot took that lead to 10, before another triple from the two-time All-Star made it 106-93 with 2:27 left.
The Nuggets outscored the Clippers 30-16 in the third quarter, including a 17-0 run to cut Los Angeles’ lead to 73-72 on a Gary Harris layup with 3:29 left in the period.
Denver tied the game at 79 on a layup from Torrey Craig in the first minute of the fourth quarter, then took his first lead from the first minute when Craig buried a 3 corner kick on Denver’s next possession.
The Nuggets shot 61.1% in the second half, including a seven-of-12 mark from 3-point range.
Denver’s Jamal Murray finished with 21 points, five rebounds and five assists, and stayed in the game after hitting the floor hard after being blocked by Paul George under the basket early in the third quarter. Gary Harris added 16 points, four rebounds and four steals.
George finished with 33 points, six rebounds and five steals, while Kawhi Leonard had 25 points, eight rebounds, five assists and two steals.
The Clippers built a 10-point lead in the first quarter. Denver used a 17-7 run in the second quarter, highlighted by a high-foot triple at the end of Jokic’s shot clock, to cut that lead to 47-45 with 5:52 to go before the half. But the Clippers responded with 10 consecutive points and finally took a 63-47 lead in the locker room. – Reuters
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