Nuggets vs. Clippers: Themes from Game 1 to watch as playoff series continues

After a stirring Battle between the Nuggets and Clippers here are three trends to watch Monday in Competition and for the remainder of the first-round series Aaron Gordon s versatility One pretty notable aspect of Denver s dismal pick-and-roll defense in the first quarter was the unproductive space occupied by Nikola Jokic who seemingly needed to be more aggressive at the level of the screen Instead James Harden often had an easy pass to the short-rolling Ivica Zubac and the Nuggets uncovered themselves stuck in -on- as they have all too often this season Eventually they adjusted with specific cross-matching Gordon started a handful of possessions on Zubac allowing Denver to switch pick-and-rolls while Jokic was matched up on Clippers guard Kris Dunn their weakest offensive threat in the starting lineup Jokic was able to stray away from Dunn offering extra help near the paint even if he s not a formidable rim protector and inviting the ball to find the open man Later in the championship Jokic improved at pushing ball-handlers out toward the sideline when the Clippers put him in ball-screens Mostly though Denver s ability to make the earlier adjustment was a testament to the value of Gordon The Nuggets are assured with him guarding an opposing point guard or center both of whom in this affair are getting All-NBA votes How Denver s closing lineup affected matchups The Clippers used Kawhi Leonard as their primary defender on Jamal Murray for the end of regulation and overtime But whether they ll depend on that matchup in crunch time all series is unclear because there s no telling who will close games for Denver In Encounter it was the sixth man Russell Westbrook over Michael Porter Jr a roller-coaster of a decision by David Adelman that ultimately paid off Put plainly Porter s -point shooting pedigree keeps defenses honest Westbrook s does not So the Clippers moved around their chess pieces Dunn had spent the bulk of the battle on Murray but he was assigned to guard Westbrook toward the end by dramatically helping off of him utilizing his instincts and athleticism to intercept a Murray-to-Jokic pocket pass in the last minute of overtime And without Porter on the court for Leonard to defend he instead guarded Murray The Clippers tried to crowd Denver s two-man contest as much as practicable and funnel the ball to Westbrook There were multiple times when they changed their defense I m not stupid I was like I cannot believe I don t have Michael Porter in the contest right now standing in the corner ' Adelman announced on Sunday But you have to go off feel and I thought our defensive intensity and capacity is what won us the battle If Porter closes Competition will Leonard still match up with Murray during those crucial possessions Related Articles Nikola Jokic wrestles Jeff Van Gundy for the basketball on Clippers bench He was in the weight room afterward Why David Adelman turned away from Michael Porter Jr to close Nuggets Contest win Renck Russell Mania is maddening But Nuggets don t win without Westbrook PHOTOS Denver Nuggets beat Los Angeles Clippers - in Competition of first-round NBA playoff series Nuggets-Clippers Battle -pointers Russell Westbrook rewards David Adelman s trust down stretch Nuggets can hunt mismatches too It s no secret The Clippers have multiple isolation assassins and the easiest way to amount in isolation is to strand the opponent s worst defender on the island Murray and Porter predictably got hunted at various moments Saturday But even though the Nuggets were bottom-five in isolation frequency this season they re still adept at attacking mismatches The Clippers did a lot of switching in Event and Denver took advantage by feeding Jokic with his back to the basket against the smaller Dunn a scant times According to the league s matchup information Jokic went of from the field with two assists and no turnovers when he was defended by Dunn The Nuggets should want to return to that throughout the series whenever they have the opportunity After all Zubac is generally one of the best defensive centers in the league at making Jokic work in the post The three-time MVP shot for inside the arc with Zubac defending him in Competition which looks efficient but is worse than Jokic s regular-season -point percentage