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We’re getting the Game 7 this series deserves.
After six intense, unpredictable battles between two of the most experienced and dangerous playoff teams in the Western Conference, the Los Angeles Clippers and Denver Nuggets are headed back to Ball Arena for a win-or-go-home showdown. It’s the second consecutive season that Denver has failed to close out a 3-2 lead, and the second straight year Nikola Jokic is facing a Game 7 at home, where they lost in the Western Conference Semifinals to the Timberwolves last season. Meanwhile, the Clippers, behind resurgent performances from James Harden and Kawhi Leonard, look like a team that knows the moment is now.
Let’s break it all down.
James Harden flipped the script in Game 6, scoring 28 points and dishing eight assists in a vintage performance that kept LA’s season alive with a 111-105 win. After passive efforts in Game 4 and Game 5, Harden played decisively from the jump, attacking early, getting to his spots and looking more like the version that scored 32 in Game 1. His 20 shot attempts were the most since that opener, and his aggression set the tone for a Clippers team that looked flat just two nights earlier in Denver.
Kawhi Leonard added 27 points and 10 rebounds, showing more lift and assertiveness, while Norman Powell was the x-factor. He dropped 24 points (his most in the series), and hit the dagger three with under two minutes left – fitting for a player many expected to swing this series with his shot-making.
Defensively, the Clippers were locked in. Ivica Zubac and Nicolas Batum played big minutes to contain Jokic, holding the three-time MVP to just five second-half points and keeping him scoreless for an 11-minute stretch in the third. Even though Denver made a late push, LA clamped down in the closing minutes and blocked three potential layups in the final possessions.
The Nuggets got 21 from Jamal Murray, but their lack of edge was visible, especially compared to a desperate Clippers squad. Denver missed the opportunity to close at the Intuit Dome, and now they face a familiar pressure: winning a Game 7 at home.
These are the moments stars are made for, and in this series, the stars have mostly delivered. Jokic has a 36-point, 21-rebound game, three triple-doubles and four 25+ point performances so far, and he went for 34 points and 19 rebounds in the Game 7 loss last season. Murray went for 43 in Game 5 of this series and went for 35 in his last Game 7 last year. Can he do it again?
The Clippers have momentum, but they’re heading back to altitude after playing their hearts out defending home court in Game 6. LA will likely go big again, playing Batum heavy minutes while shortening the rotation, and bet on their length to slow Jokic and Murray. But that strategy comes with risk: can Norman Powell replicate his shooting on the road? Can Harden stay aggressive on the road? Can Zubac stay out of foul trouble?
Denver will likely adjust too. Expect more fouls called if the physicality from Game 6 keeps up, especially after Jokic absorbed a lot of contact with no calls. And the Nuggets’ Game 5 blowout still looms large; it’s tough to erase how tired the Clippers looked in Game 5. The glass, however, where the Clippers won decisively in Game 6, remains a swing area.
It’s hard to shake the sense that this will be a slow, tense, halfcourt-heavy Game 7. Both teams know what’s at stake. Both know where the danger lies. The Clippers feel deeper. But Jokic is still the best player in the world. And Jamal Murray? He has a flair for the moment. I think the Clippers are better, but I am picking the Nuggets to advance.
Murray has hit this number three times in this series already, and has reached 21 five times. With the season on the line and the home crowd behind him, expect Murray to come out aggressive and with a green light.
Zach has been a published sports writer since 2018 specializing in college football & basketball, MLB and NFL content for multiple publications.