The Los Angeles Clippers flexed their muscles in Game 1 against the Denver Nuggets, and this unsurprisingly resulted in a lopsided contest all evening long. The game ended with a final score of 120-97, which pretty much sums up how dominant LA was against Denver on Thursday night.

For their part, however, this series is anything but over for the Nuggets. LA may have made quick work of them in Game 1, but we still have so much basketball ahead of us. It would be silly to count Denver out at this point, but at the same time, there's no denying that the Nuggets need to make a lot of adjustments if they hope to make a comeback in this series.

Here are three key factors that Denver needs to consider entering Game 2 on Saturday.

Contain the Klaw

Nuggets, Clippers, Terance Mann, Kawhi Leonard

Let's get one thing clear: at this point, it does not seem that it is humanly possible to stop a guy like Kawhi Leonard. He's just that good. If anything, the reigning Finals MVP's performance on Thursday might have more than a few folks saying that he is the best player in the league right now.

This being the case, there's no point for the Nuggets to try and stop Leonard. Instead, they should do everything in their power to try and contain him. This was not the case in Game 1, with Kawhi pretty much getting his way against the Nuggets all evening long.

Kawhi finished with 29 points on 12-of-16 shooting, two rebounds, three assists, two steals, and a block in 32 minutes of action. His numbers were impressive, but these are actually not a good representation of how dominant Leonard was against Denver.

The Nuggets have a number of formidable defenders that can match up against Kawhi, with Jerami Grant being their best bet against Leonard. However, despite being the excellent defensive weapon that he is, Grant just can't handle Kawhi on his own.

Denver needs to press Leonard more in Game 2. They were effective to a degree when they double-teamed him in the series opener, and the Nuggets need more of the same moving forward.

More of Murray

Nuggets, Jamal Murray, Torrey Craig
CP

Jamal Murray was easily Denver's best player in the first round against the Utah Jazz. He struggled mightily in Game 1 against LA, and this was brought about by a combination of fatigue, the Clippers' hounding defense, and just simple tough luck.

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As proven by Luka Doncic in the first round, opposing guards can score against LA's backcourt, and while Murray is no Doncic, the Nuggets guard should still be able to get to his spots against defenders such as Lou Williams, Landry Shamet, or Reggie Jackson.

Murray shot just 5-of-15 in Game 1 for 33.3 percent shooting. He was on fire against the Utah Jazz in the first round, making 55.5 percent of his shots. The law of averages should come into play here (he also shot 45.6 percent in the regular season), so Denver just need to let Murray do his thing. Sooner or later, his shots should fall.

Then again, it would be foolish not to consider Murray's thigh issue as one of the reasons behind his struggles on Thursday. For Denver's sake, they need to hope that this doesn't bother Murray too much moving forward. He may not be a hundred percent, but the Nuggets need Murray to be at his best if they hope to stand a chance in this series.

Move the Ball

Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets

Murray is one heck of a scorer, and his two 50-point outings in the first round against the Jazz is testament to this fact. However, he simply can't do everything on his own for the Nuggets.

Denver actually found success in the first quarter in Game 1, and it was because they kept the ball moving. Their ball rotation was on point in the first period, and this is certainly something they should build on.

Denver shot 59% from the floor in the first period, and they did so by passing the ball around. It is also worth noting that LA's defensive rotations were late on more than a few occasions in the first quarter, so it would be wise for the Nuggets to take advantage of the same.

This game was well within reach for the Nuggets after the first, with the score tied 31-31. However, the Clippers threw a haymaker in the second period, and Denver was never able to recover from that point on.

Nonetheless, if Denver is able to keep their foot on the gas (fatigue also played a factor after a high-octane first period) throughout Game 2, and they move the ball around properly, then they should give themselves a shot at evening this series.