Preview: Nuggets host the Clippers in a winner-take-all Game 7

The Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Clippers have played each other about as closely as two teams can, which makes it no surprise that it’s coming down to a deciding Game 7 in Denver. The winners gets the reward of facing the well-rested and top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder, while the loser heads to Cancun after what would be a disappointing outcome for either squad. Both teams think they can win this, and both teams have shown they can – which means it’s up to the Nuggets to take the victory as the series, because the Clippers are not going to lay down. These two teams did a playoff Game 7 before, in the 2020 Bubble, but this one gets a packed house in the Mile High. Buckle up Denver fans, this one will be a tense ride.

The Essentials

Who: Denver Nuggets (3-3) vs Los Angeles Clippers (3-3)

When: 5:30 PM MDT

Where: The Can. Denver, CO.

How to watch/listen: Denver Stiffs does not condone piracy, unless it’s the romanticized 17th century type. Altitude, TNT/Tru TV, Altitude Radio 92.5 FM. Say you’re the confetti guy and you’re here to fill up the cannons for the victory.

Rival blog: 213 Hoops

The Matchup

Injury report: DaRon Holmes II – out (achilles).

The Three Things

The thing to watch for: which team’s Hall of Famer comes to play for all four quarters

The Nuggets have contained Kawhi’s scoring reasonably well aside from that Game 2 39-point outburst, while the Clippers – and specifically an outstanding series from Ivica Zubac – have done much the same with Jokic. Joker had 36 points in that Game 4 win, but it’s the only time in the series he has been past 30 and “just” getting triple-doubles is not a good measure of Nikola’s success in any particular game. He and Kawhi have both had good efforts on the boards throughout the series, but Leonard can make his mark on both ends while Jokic has to get Denver’s offense to be more efficient than it has been most of the time against the Clippers.

Denver simply cannot turn the ball over like they did in Game 6. They cannot give away possessions and points, but that Los Angeles defense spear-headed by Kawhi is intent on forcing them – and on getting defenders in Nikola’s way at every opportunity. Normally by now in a series Jokic has solved the defense, but that hasn’t happened yet – and if it doesn’t happen tonight then all of Denver may just have to tip its cap to Kawhi and his Clippers squad for making it so that neither Jokic nor his teammates could put their stamp on the game and the series. To overcome, Denver will probably need a great Jokic performance not a merely good one.

The thing to remember: This could be the last dance for this iteration of the Nuggets

Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter Jr. might play their last game together tonight. If this it is for this particular squad, then they go out with the first championship in club history – and the tantalizing glimpse of what could have been more with a more-complete roster around them or some better injury luck. We as Nuggets fans have been so privileged to watch this group grow up together, and then with the addition of Aaron Gordon to really become Denver legends and a family unit. I hope this isn’t the final game. I want more of the AG finale oops and the MPJ dagger threes and the Murray Flurries and Jokic orchestrating it all. This season was incredibly challenging, as evinced by the firings of Michael Malone and Calvin Booth as a last-ditch effort to save the season and get past this first round. But if this does wind up being the end, I hope they get a standing ovation under the banner that they all hung together in the rafters for us.

The thing to bet: A Nuggets win (-120)

In Game 7s we don’t play. If it’s win-or-go-home, then go get the damn win.