The Denver Nuggets took down the Los Angeles Clippers 111-105 to stay alive in the 2020 NBA playoffs. The deficit was cut to 3-2 in favor of LA.
The Clippers held a comfortable 12-point lead heading into halftime, as the franchise�s first Western Conference Finals appearance looked imminent. But the Nuggets weren�t ready to go down without a fight.
Denver stormed a resilient comeback in the second half thanks to 14 3rd-quarter points from Paul Millsap and stellar shooting in the 4th. They took their first lead of the game with 7 minutes left in the contest and didn�t look back.
A clutch 3-pointer and blocked shot from rookie Michael Porter Jr. on consecutive possessions gave Denver a 5-point lead and effectively sealed the deal. The 3 was Porter Jr�s only made field goal of the night, but it couldn�t have come at a better time. He showed that there was perhaps some truth to the controversial postgame comments he made after Game 4.�
Clippers star Kawhi Leonard was dominant as usual with 36 points � 13 of which came in the 4th quarter. He�s up to 29.8 points in this postseason, which ranks first among players currently in Orlando.�
But contrarily, the Clippers received minimal support from their elite bench duo of Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell. They combined for only 10 points on 5/17 shooting, far below their combined points per game average of 36.8 in the regular season.
Tonight�s result looked eerily similar to previous playoff games from each team. The last time the Clippers played a closeout game up 3-1 in the second round, they similarly blew a lead to the Houston Rockets in 2015. Houston went on to win the series, which could cause some Clippers fans to feel nervous about history repeating itself.
Additionally, the Nuggets� performance tonight resembled that of Game five versus the Jazz in the first round of these playoffs. All looked well for the Jazz, who were up 3-1 with a late lead. But Denver turned it around with a 38-point 4th quarter to win the game, and later the series.
The respective similarities are possibly nothing more than a simple coincidence, but it�s something to keep an eye on if the Nuggets continue to make this series interesting.�
The Clippers will get another chance to close out the series on Sunday.