Clippers On the Brink of Elimination as Jamal Murray’s Big Night Puts Them Down 3-1

The NBA playoffs are a fickle beast. One minute a team can have all the momentum and be cruising to what seems like an easy series victory, and the next they can find themselves down and scrambling for answers. That’s exactly what happened to the Clippers.

(Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)

Los Angeles came into the Denver series with many questions. They spent the first few games answering them. They turned on a switch, played hard fought basketball, and saw themselves up 2-1. However, all it takes is for one thing to go wrong for everything to fall apart.

That blow came in game four. Rather than take control of the series, the Clippers lost a tight game that fell apart down the stretch. The loss opened the door for the seasoned Nuggets, who took full advantage in game five. Now, the series is theirs to lose.

A True Resiliency

The Clippers and Denver are caught in a close back-and-forth series. Denver won a thriller in game one, the Clippers took the next two, and now Denver has the upper hand again.

They did it by relying on their stars and playing strong team basketball.

In game five, the Nuggets were invigorated by their home crowd

They started strong on offense, winning the first half by eight, and then came out even stronger in the second half.

A big third quarter enabled them to push the game out of reach and trade baskets down the stretch to secure an easy 131-115 victory.

The win is the most important of the series because it swung all momentum back towards the higher seed. Los Angeles is a tough team with plenty of talent, but Denver is no stranger to the big time.

They have the ability to battle back and, thanks to Nikola Jocic, can weather just about any storm

That’s been on display in this series. The Nuggets aren’t a one man show, nor do they crumble under pressure.

They have a championship roster with plenty of high-end talent. That makes them quite dangerous, especially for teams that blow chances.

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A Game of Stars

The Clippers are far from done, but they only have two chances to correct their weak game five play. Even with all of their big plays, their high-end talent just couldn’t match Denver’s.

Ivica Zubac continued his string of big games, tallying 27 points, but he only pulled in five rebounds.

Kawhi Leonard added 20 points, 11 assists, and nine rebounds, while Bogdan Bogdonavic put up 20

That was largely where the scoring stopped. The rest of the team, including James Harden and Norman Powell, couldn’t get anything going. It was a noticeable hole in the offense, and one the role players couldn’t fill.

On the other side of the ball, Jamal Murray was almost unstoppable

The shifty guard put up 43 points to go with his seven assists and five rebounds. Aaron Gordan (23 points) and Russell Westbrook (21 points) both did a good job of getting the ball into the basket too.

Even Nikola Jocic, who by all means had an off night, finished with a strong triple double of 13 points, 10 rebounds, and 12 assists.

Everyone on Denver contributed, which was a huge reason they were able to outlast the Clippers as the game went on

“It was a big team win,” Murray said in a postgame interview. “Guys were setting good screens. Guys were running the floor. Guys were being unselfish and passing the ball. Everybody was in a really good rhythm tonight. That was a big reason why we got the win.”

Now or Never

The Clippers now face a huge game six that has implications far beyond this season. They finally have everyone on their roster healthy and playing at a high level.

Going home in the first round would be a huge wasted opportunity, and one they might not get again.

No one doubts the talent, but everyone will need to step up if they want to beat Denver in back-to-back games.

That pressure rests on the entire roster, but it’s especially true for Leonard, Harden, Zubac, and Powell

The team runs through those four, and Los Angeles can’t afford another off night. Harden went just 3-of-9 in game five.

Another performance like that could sink LA for good. The plan shouldn’t change, nor does it need to.

Things aren’t going to come together every game, but now Los Angeles has to play perfectly two nights in a row.

There are no easy answers now, even for someone as skilled as Kawhi Leonard

“Wish I knew,” the guard said when asked about how the Nuggets got the win. “They’re getting out, getting easy layups early. Got some open threes…We just gotta stay there. Know what they’re doing and contest and make sure we’re there.”