Subscribe
Follow Us
The Denver Nuggets were not able to close out the series against the Los Angeles Clippers, losing 111-105 in Game 6 on Thursday. The game was pretty close going into halftime, and then the Clippers made a chance and built a lead.
Nic Batum was inserted into the starting lineup for Kris Dunn in the second half, and he forced the Nuggets to make some tough decisions for the remainder of the game.
With Game 7 being do-or-die, Nikola Jokic has an idea of what the Clippers might do with their lineup.
“Batum is a much better shooter than Kris Dunn,” Jokic said via ESPN's Ramona Shelburne. “Batum is a great defensive player. He can guard 1 through 5. I don't think they lack [anything] defensively with Batum. They're probably going to start him next game.”
It would not be a surprise if they did start Batum, and the stats show that they were better when he was on the floor. The Clippers shot 6-for-6 off passes from Batum in the second half, and he spent substantial time guarding both Jokic and Jamal Murray.
When Dunn was on the floor, the Nuggets don't have to pay much attention to him on offense, which makes him a liability at some point.
Clippers force Game 7 against Nuggets
The Clippers had the lead for most of the second half, and it was mostly because of the lineup change by putting Batum in the starting lineup. James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, and Norman Powell were big for the Clippers, and they made big plays down the stretch to help them secure the win.
The Nuggets did their best to try and come back during the final minutes, but they were not able to execute. Russell Westbrook missed some clutch layups that could've helped the Nuggets cut their deficit, and the rest of the team missed some big shots as well. Jokic and Murray both had more than 20 points, and Aaron Gordon finished with 19 points.
It's no surprise that this series is going to a Game 7 as both of these teams have been playing at a high level, and most of the games have come down to the wire as well.
Jokic and the Nuggets are trying to advance to the second round once again, while the Clippers are trying to get out of the second round, something they were not able to do last year after losing to the Dallas Mavericks.
