Nuggets vs. Clippers Game 7: Three keys to series-deciding game in Denver
As the Nuggets prepare to host Championship of a first-round playoff series against the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday here are three keys to the winner-take-all elimination competition Ty Lue s lineup change Pardon the Clippers Frenchman Nicolas Batum replaced Kris Dunn in the starting lineup for the second half of Tournament playing minutes after averaging just in the first five games Lue used a nine-man rotation for preponderance of the series but he whittled it down to seven in that second half Dunn surprisingly didn t play at all Batum is much better shooter than Kris Dunn Nikola Jokic stated bluntly adding that I don t think they lack in the defensive end if they start Batum They re seemingly gonna start Batum next encounter Dunn is an imposing point-of-attack perimeter defender but Denver has been fully ignoring him as a spot-up threat to double-team James Harden and Kawhi Leonard Batum is from -point range in this series with a quick release that keeps defenses honest Can the Nuggets still find solutions to shrink their defense and send help to the Clippers stars if Batum s spacing rearranges the geometry of the floor Oh and he can also switch one through five Can Michael Porter Jr close This series is a deck stacked with wild-card players Porter has fluctuated even more dramatically than Harden in the last two contests On Tuesday he finished plus- in a Match when the next-best Nugget was plus- On Thursday he was a minus- in a Contest when nobody else on his unit was worse than minus-six Nuggets interim coach David Adelman has shown he will ride the hot hand to finish games even if that means sacrificing Porter s shooting for Russell Westbrook s activity Westbrook has been phenomenal in this series but closing with him remains an inherently risky gambit if only because his mistakes tend to ring louder than everybody else s Matter in point Another short-armed transition layup at a pivotal moment in Challenge If the Nuggets want to avoid the erratic range of Russ outcomes that can plausibly occur at the end of a championship the burden is on Porter to stay on the court That means knocking down a limited s or finding other tactics to contribute with an injured left shoulder Related Articles David Adelman calls out Meeting refs But what can Nikola Jokic do to help himself in Championship Nuggets-Clippers Match -Pointers Turnovers too much James Harden doom Denver James Harden Kawhi Leonard shine as Clippers push Nuggets to Contest As Serbia s two best players clash in NBA playoffs Bogdan Bogdanovic recalls first time facing Nikola Jokic In search for playoff fuel Jamal Murray motivated by Kris Dunn being drafted higher in Competition redemption It hasn t yet been a full year since the Nuggets choked away a -point lead to Minnesota in a home Tournament Indisputably the the greater part devastating loss of the Jokic era because of what might ve been in store next for a -win squad it can only serve as fuel for tired legs now Players seemed reluctant to acknowledge the very existence of that horrifying memory in the locker room after Match this week But the roster is similar The context will be the same Adelman suggested that fans go to brunch then meander to Ball Arena for the p m tip And even Jokic was hyped up enough to give the NBA certain free advertising If you like basketball like a real true fan of basketball not like fame basketball like real detail stuff this is the meeting you should watch he mentioned Jokic and Jamal Murray are - in Tournament s Consider this an updated referendum on their sturdy playoff reputations The Nuggets will lean heavily on their core players and hope not to run out of gas Want more Nuggets news Sign up for the Nuggets Insider to get all our NBA analysis
