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In a surprising turn of events, the Los Angeles Clippers-Denver Nuggets series is going to a Game 7.
Not many people thought it would get to this point since the Clippers had a 3-1 series lead. However, Los Angeles played lackadaisical in Games 5 and 6 and are now on the brink of choking the series away to the Nuggets, who are playing with confidence and complete freedom.
After the Nuggets won Game 6, Denver star big man Nikola Jokic said all the pressure is on the Clippers to win Game 7. The Joker is spot on with that statement, as Los Angeles is a championship contender with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George leading the way.
If the Clippers somehow blow this series, there's a strong possibility there could be major changes in Clipper land this offseason.
With Game 7 between the Nuggets and Clippers set for Tuesday, we made two bold predictions for the contest.
1. Lou Williams will continue to struggle for the Clippers
Arguably the best bench scorer in NBA history, Lou Williams has been awful for the Clippers in this Nuggets series. He's averaging only 10.5 points per game and shooting 36.8 percent from the field and a woeful 13.0 percent from beyond the arc.
Never known to be a good defender, Williams is getting even more exposed in the postseason. The Nuggets are attacking him on defense at every turn and the Clippers may have no choice but to not play Williams in crunch time in the fourth quarter if the game is close.
We have never seen Williams struggle to score the ball like this before. You have to give a lot of credit to the Nuggets, who have guys such as Jamal Murray and Gary Harris to pester Williams with their size and physicality.
During the 2019-20 regular season, Williams averaged 5.2 free-throw attempts per game. That's down to 3.1 in the playoffs.
All in all, it has been strange to see Williams play this poorly since he's such a gifted scorer. Anything can happen in a Game 7, and Clippers fans won't be surprised at all if Sweet Lou finds his shooting stroke in the deciding game.
However, the numbers show that Williams is in for another tough outing in Game 7.
2. Nuggets win Game 7 and send the Clippers home with a bevy of questions
The Nuggets have all the momentum in the series and are playing with supreme confidence. The Clippers have zero answers for Jokic, who is just toying with Los Angeles' frontcourt of Montrezl Harrell and Ivica Zubac.
It has gotten so bad for the Clippers that some fans are asking head coach Doc Rivers to give Joakim Noah minutes.
Jokic is averaging 25.8 points, 12.0 rebounds and 5.5 assists in the series. He's also shooting an efficient 53.0 percent from the field, 44.1 percent from beyond the arc and 76.2 percent from the free-throw line. Expect the Serbian juggernaut to continue his dominant play in Game 7 and simply will the Nuggets to the W.
Whatever Clippers forward Marcus Morris said to Denver veteran Paul Millsap in Game 5 clearly woke the Nuggets up, folks.
Moreover, Murray has shown throughout the 2020 playoffs he's built for the big stage. The 23-year-old has been torching the Clippers from deep, as he's shooting 42.9 percent from the 3-point line.
Clippers guard Patrick Beverley's physical defense hasn't fazed Murray at all and the Nuggets point guard got Pat Bev to foul out in Game 6 in only 17 minutes.
After the Nuggets defeat the Clippers in Game 7 to erase their second straight 3-1 deficit and advance to the Western Conference Finals, the Clippers will go back to Los Angeles with their heads down. Also, expect owner Steve Ballmer and president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank to make big changes.
