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The Clippers will get a Game 7, thanks to some timely shots from Norman Powell. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Harry How via Getty Images
The NBA playoffs is about to have it first Game 7, courtesy of a Denver Nuggets-Los Angeles Clippers series that seems to change complexion with every game.
After a blowout loss in Game 5, the Clippers recovered with a complete effort on Thursday at the Intuit Dome to force a winner-take-all game on Saturday in Denver. The winner's reward: a date with the No. 1 seeded Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Clippers' basic formula for success wound up being their usual plan A, with a little more help from Nicolas Batum. Kawhi Leonard and James Harden took the lion's share of the usage on offense to great effect, Norman Powell burst through when they needed another look and Ivica Zubac controlled the paint on both ends of the floor.
It was Powell in particular who kept the Clippers ahead when Denver was threatening a comeback after being down 15 points midway through the fourth quarter, plus some questionable play from old friend Russell Westbrook.
Powell finished the game with 24 points on 9-of-14 shooting, while Leonard had 27 points, 10 rebounds and five assists and Harden had 28 points and eight assists.
Zubac's impact was more felt in Nikola Jokić's numbers. The three-time MVP was held to just five points, two rebounds and four assists in the second half. The Nuggets only outscored the Clippers by one point with him on the floor, and this team has won very few games this season by outscoring the opposition in the non-Jokić minutes.
That difference was most felt in the third quarter, when a 12-0 Clippers run pushed them up double-digits. The Nuggets cut that lead to as little as five down the stretch, it wasn't enough to avoid a Game 7.
James Harden bounces back
Harden entered this series with a reputation for underperforming in the playoffs despite years of historically efficient scoring in the regular season, and Game 5 did nothing to discourage that chatter. With a Ball Arena crowd chanting "Harden sucks" at times, the former MVP posted only 11 points on 3-of-9 shooting with eight rebounds, five assists and four turnovers.
Game 6 wound up being a different animal.
Harden was noticeably more aggressive throughout the night, including with a 3-pointer that put the game nearly out of reach for the Nuggets.
Next up will be a Game 7, an environment in which Harden's struggles are even more documented. Even though it's only the first round, Harden has a chance to exorcise some demons.
Clippers finally embrace Nic Batum
Not everything has worked consistently for the Clippers this series, but one player who has is Nic Batum.
The veteran 3-point specialist entered Thursday with solid efficiency stats and a plus-23 rating on the series. He averaged a career-low 4.0 points per game this season, but his defense and gravity on the perimeter has definitely made a difference against Denver.
So it was little surprise Batum was on the floor for a series-high 34 minutes, in which the Clippers outscored the Nuggets by 11 points. He didn't get a start, but he did start the second half for the first time all series.
It's conceivable Los Angeles embraces Batum even more by starting Batum over Kris Dunn in Game 7, which is something Denver is going to have to adjust to.
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