Subscribe
Follow Us
Kawhi Leonard helped the LA Clippers to a Game 6 win in Los Angeles on Thursday night, forcing a Game 7 against the Denver Nuggets. With James Harden by his side, the tandem combined for 55 points in the final home game for the Clippers in this series.
With Game 7 back in Denver, both teams are going to be hyper focused on the details in what's sure to be a tightly-contested game.
Kawhi Leonard, James Harden reveal keys to must-win Game 7 vs. Nuggets
Through six games, the series between the Clippers and Nuggets has been almost dead-even.
The Clippers have scored 23 more points than the Nuggets have and have turned the ball over 16 fewer times, but have been out-rebounded by 17.
Numbers from the Clippers-Nuggets series, tied at 3-3 heading into Game 7 in Denver.
What stands out?
Total Points:
LAC: 657
DEN: 634Field Goals Made-Attempted:
LAC: 249-of-510 (48.8%)
DEN: 241-of-507 (47.5%)3-Pointers Made-Attempted:
LAC: 76-of-204 (37.3%)
DEN: 68-of-174…— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) May 2, 2025
“We've been there before, we played there, it's going to be our fourth time, so just play like any other game,” Kawhi Leonard said of the keys to the Clippers winning Game 7. “Just go out there and have fun, but stay locked in with each other. We've got to talk. Like I've said before, they're a great team at home, so we've got to be able to come out in that first quarter.”
Kawhi Leonard recorded 27 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists in Game 6 while shooting 11-of-22 from the field. Leonard has been the leading scorer of this series at 25.5 points per game, narrowly ahead of Nikola Jokic's 25.3 points per game average.
Slow starts have been a problem for the Clippers, who have seen the Nuggets outscore them in the opening minutes of almost every game thus far.
Tyronn Lue has been preaching getting off to better starts all series, and Kawhi Leonard reiterated that heading into the final game.
Article Continues Below
“We can have the confidence to know that we have one win [in Denver], but this is going to be a different game. Like I said, we've got to come out aggressive in the first quarter and hold them, make sure they don't get a big lead on us.”
James Harden had a strong bounce-back performance for the Clippers in Game 6, scoring 28 points, with six rebounds, and eight assists on 10-of-20 shooting from the field. It was a much-needed scoring outburst for Harden, who had combined for 26 points in Games 4 and 5.
After the game, Harden touched on what he believed would be the keys to the win-or-go-home Game 7 in Denver.
“Attention to detail for a full game, however long that game is, whether it's regulation or overtime,” Harden said. “But attention to detail. Like, Jokic is… He's just special in the sense of like, he can score the basketball but he's more deadly when he's playmaking and getting everybody else involved. So it's like one second that you think you should be helping, or you do help, you'll pay for it. You really have to be on your [keys] and locked in on what you're supposed to be doing.
“And then it's like who you're guarding. So for us, it's like understanding what we need to be doing as a team, and then individually, limiting our mistakes. Whatever team can make the opposite team make more mistakes, you'll give yourself a chance to win.”
Nikola Jokic has been a handful to defend in this series, averaging 25.3 points, 11.8 rebounds, 10.5 assists, and 2.2 steals across six contests while shooting 50.9 percent from the field and 44.8 percent from three.
Game 7 of Clippers-Nuggets is will tip off at 4:30PM PST on TNT, and the winner of that game will take a flight to Oklahoma City shortly after their victory to prepare for Game 1 against the OKC Thunder.
