Denver had to cope with Kevin Durant and Devin Booker in the Western Conference semifinals, then LeBron James and Anthony Davis for the West crown.Īnd Miami? After surviving the Play-In (where Miami actually trailed the Chicago Bulls late in the fourth quarter), the Heat chopped down a pair of sequoias in the Bucks and Celtics, stunning the league each time. That’s because the Nuggets and Heat just went through the fire. And based on what we’ve seen from these two teams, both belong on the June stage. In the NBA Finals, it’s all about shot-making, defensive stands and the courage needed to become a champion. None of that really matters anymore, not this deep into the postseason. What a contrast, at least according to the standings, is this matchup of Nuggets vs. an AT&T Play-In Tournament winner for the Larry O’Brien Trophy. All rights reserved.Shaq, Charles, Kenny and EJ share their thoughts on the Nuggets-Heat matchup in the 2023 NBA Finals. Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and Safety Information / Your California Privacy Rights are applicable to you. ^ Back to Top ^ © 2023 ESPN Internet Ventures. Nuggets: Host the Houston Rockets on Monday.Ĭlippers: Host the Indiana Pacers on Sunday afternoon. Los Angeles was 19 of 34 on free throws, with the 55.9% rate being its second-lowest of the year. Norman Powell had 11 points off the bench. Denver had a 21-4 advantage in second-chance points.Ĭlippers: Robert Covington had 12 points, including a pair of 3-pointers and reached 1,200 for his career. Cancar had 13 points coming off the bench. (heel), Jeff Green (knee), Bones Hyland (illness) and Payton Watson (illness) did not play. The Clippers made a late run to get it to 87-77 The game was tied at 18 midway through the first quarter before the Nuggets scored nine straight points to lead the rest of the way.ĭenver extended its advantage to 64-52 at halftime and led by 17 with 2 minutes remaining in the third after a pair of free throws by Vlatko Cancar made it 85-68. So this is something to build on,” said Gordon, who scored 19 points in the second half. “It feels like we’re starting to put something together. But I thought we did some good things and we've got some things we’ve got to clean up.”ĭenver was down to 10 players in Wednesday’s win over Oklahoma City but was bolstered by the returns of Murray and Ish Smith to the lineup. The margin of error is very slim so we got to take advantage of those opportunities. “In the second half we had our chances, and got it to seven. “We were being too casual with the basketball in the first half, but addressed that at halftime,” coach Tyronn Lue said. The Clippers had 11 turnovers in the first half, but only three in the final 24 minutes. Terance Mann added 16 points and Marcus Morris Sr. George (right hamstring) missed his third straight game and Kennard (right calf) has been out the last four. Leonard missed his second straight game after he sprained his right ankle Monday night against Utah. John Wall had a season-high 23 points for the Clippers, who were down to 10 players with Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and Luke Kennard out due to injuries. Nikola Jokic added 19 points, 13 rebounds and six assists for the Nuggets, who led by 21 at one point during the fourth quarter with a run of 10 straight points midway through the period. Our challenge now is to go home and take care of business,” Malone said after the Nuggets won their second straight and third in their last four games. “If you’re winning at that level on the road, you know you’re a good team. So far, the Nuggets are living up to Malone's goal of being road warriors.īehind Aaron Gordon's 29 points and an additional 19 from Jamal Murray, the Nuggets beat the short-handed Los Angeles Clippers 114-104 on Friday night for their league-best eighth road win.ĭenver has played 13 of its first 19 on the road and gone 8-5 after having a franchise-record 25 wins away from the friendly confines of Ball Arena last season. LOS ANGELES - Denver coach Michael Malone knew when the schedule came out that his team was going to have to be successful again on the road if it was going to be contend in the Western Conference. Gordon scores 29, Nuggets beat short-handed Clippers 114-104
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