KEYPOINTS SUMMARY โ Clippers Nuggets Game 7
- Clippers forced Game 7 with a narrow win but now must survive in Denver
- Nikola Jokic held scoreless for 11 minutes in Game 6 โ can it happen again?
- Nuggets are 4-1 in last five Game 7s and will have home-court advantage
- Denverโs offense collapses without Jokic โ a dangerous weakness
- LA defense stunned everyone in Game 6 but can they really do it again?
- History isnโt kind to the Clippers in Game 7sโฆ especially against Denver
Clippers Nuggets Game 7: Will the Curse Strike Again?
Itโs happening again โ and LA fans are sweating bullets.
The Los Angeles Clippers clawed their way to a gutsy 111-105 win at home in Game 6, sending their first-round series against the Denver Nuggets to a Game 7 decider. But letโs be real: all eyes are now on Denver, where the air is thin, the crowd is loud, and Nikola Jokic is one game away from sending LA home again.
The Clippers may have delayed disaster โ but did they just postpone the heartbreak?
Dรฉjร Vu in the Rockies? Clippers Remember the Bubble Nightmare
For Clippers fans, Game 7 against Denver isnโt just a matchup โ itโs a trigger.
Back in 2020, inside the infamous NBA bubble, the Clippers blew a 3-1 lead to the Nuggets in the conference semifinals. That collapse still haunts the franchise. Jamal Murray went nuclear, Jokic dominated, and LA folded.
Now, history is staring them down again.
Different season. Different coaches. And different rosters.
Same opponent. Same Game 7. And same nightmare waiting to happen?
The Ty Lue Gambit: Can It Work Twice?
To Coach Tyronn Lueโs credit, his Game 6 strategy worked. Barely.
He threw everything at Jokic โ Ivica Zubac, Nicolas Batum, full-on double teams, physical play, and a swarm of defenders that held the three-time MVP scoreless for 11 full minutes in the third quarter.
It was defensive wizardry.
But can they really keep Jokic down again โ in his own house, with the season on the line?
Doubt it.
Jokic Is Angry โ and Thatโs a Problem
After Game 6, Jokic wasnโt just tired โ he was mad.
He shot just 2-for-9 in the second half and was visibly frustrated by the lack of foul calls. The refs let the Clippers get physical, and Denver coach David Adelman was fuming.
โIf thatโs how theyโre going to call it,โ Adelman said, โweโll play the same way.โ
Translation?
Expect war in Game 7.
The Nuggets are planning to hit back โ hard.
Jamal Murray Isnโt Worried โ And Thatโs Even Scarier
While LA fans are pacing the floor, Jamal Murray is calm as ever.
โItโs 3-3,โ Murray said. โNext team wins. Thatโs all that matters.โ
Heโs been here before. He thrives in elimination games, and the last time Denver faced a Game 7 in their own building, Murray exploded.
The Clippers are right to be concerned. Because this isnโt the moment where Murray usually chokes โ itโs when he ignites.
Denverโs Home-Court Edge: Will It Be Too Much?
Coach Adelman made it clear: this was the plan all along.
โWe earned this,โ he told his players. โYou play all season for home-court in Game 7.โ
And now theyโve got it.
At Ball Arena, Denverโs home crowd is electric. The altitude is brutal. The Nuggets play faster, looser, and more aggressive. LA? They havenโt won back-to-back games in Denver in over two years.
Even worse โ the Nuggets are 4-1 in their last five home Game 7s.
The odds? Not in the Clippersโ favor.
Jokic vs. the Bench: Can Denver Survive His Rest Minutes?
Hereโs the hidden danger in Denver: when Jokic sits, the Nuggets crumble.
In their three losses this series, the Nuggets were minus-24 when Jokic was off the floor. That number was minus-7 in Game 6 alone.
Adelman knows it. LA knows it. Everyone knows it.
If the Clippers want to steal Game 7, theyโll need to dominate those non-Jokic minutes and hope their bench can hold steady while Kawhi Leonard and James Harden catch their breath.
Itโs a risky formula โ but itโs their only shot.
Clippersโ Game 6 Heroes: Can They Do It Again?
James Harden dropped 28 points and looked alive for the first time in weeks.
Kawhi Leonard delivered 27 points with his usual robotic efficiency.
Norman Powell added 24 off the bench and hit a dagger 3 with under two minutes left.
That trio carried LA.
But what if one of them goes cold?
Weโve seen this story before. Harden fades in elimination games. Kawhiโs health is always a question. And Powell? Heโs hot and cold.
Thereโs no margin for error in Game 7.
Betting Line Drama: Vegas Believes in LA โ But Should They?
BetMGM Sportsbook has the Clippers as 1.5-point favorites going into Game 7 โ despite Denverโs 16-point Game 5 blowout at home.
Why?
Probably because of momentum. Probably because Harden and Kawhi looked sharp. But donโt let the odds fool youโ Denver is a dangerous animal with its back to the wall.
This isnโt just another game. This is legacy time.
Victor Wembanyama Is Watching โ So Is the League
With the Lakers eliminated and the Warriors out, all eyes are on who survives this West brawl. The Thunder are waiting in Round 2 โ young, hungry, and ready to run.
For either the Clippers or Nuggets, surviving this Game 7 means entering Round 2 bruised, battered, and borderline exhausted.
And that gives OKC a golden opportunity.
Whoever wins Saturday night might not have much left in the tank.
Game 7 Details: Donโt Miss It
- Matchup: Clippers at Nuggets
- Date: Saturday
- Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
- TV: TNT
- Series: Tied 3โ3
- Betting Line: Clippers -1.5
Clear your schedule. This one will be chaos.
Are the Clippers Headed for Another Game 7 Disaster?
They did everything right in Game 6. They pushed. And they fought. They defended. And they earned a trip back to Denver.
But now comes the hard part. The altitude. The crowd. The three-time MVP looking for revenge.
Clippers Nuggets Game 7 is here, and LAโs season is hanging by a thread.
Will Harden show up again?
Can Kawhi stay healthy for 48 minutes?
Will Jokic go nuclear in front of his home crowd?
The Clippers survived once โ but this next mountain might be too steep to climb.
