Nuggets vs. Clippers score, results: Denver eliminates L.A. in dominant Game 7, will play OKC in second round

🚨Game 7 final: Nuggets 120, Clippers 101

And that does it, folks. Despite entering the series as underdogs, the Denver Nuggets have advanced to the second round of the 2025 postseason with a 120-101 Game 7 victory on their home floor over the Los Angeles Clippers. This is the second seven-game series the Nuggets have won against the Clippers this decade, and they will now advance to face the 68-win juggernaut Oklahoma City Thunder starting on Monday.

It was a balanced attack for the Nuggets in Game 7. Their core six players, Nikola Jokić, Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon, Michael Porter Jr., Christian Braun and Russell Westbrook, all scored between 16 and 22 points. Jokić couldn’t figure out his own offense early in the game, so he leaned on teammates with six first-quarter assists before he found his own shot. From there, virtually everything started going in for the Nuggets. They scored 72 points in the second and third quarters combined to seal the game.

The Clippers, meanwhile, must live with the knowledge that they blew what was a very winnable series. If they’d boxed out Aaron Gordon in Game 4, it goes to overtime and they have the advantage at home. If they hadn’t blown a 15-point lead in Game 1, this series might have ended quickly. Instead, following yet another elimination game dud by James Harden (seven points on eight shots), they go home wondering what might have been.

The Clippers just cannot get a stop

What a way to presumably end a season. The Clippers, one of the scrappiest, most versatile defensive teams in the NBA for the entire year, just cannot get a stop here when it counts. The Nuggets had 21 points in the first 12 minutes of this game. In the 20 or so since, they have 63. With Denver up 25 and only around 16 minutes on the clock, it looks like the Nuggets are headed to Oklahoma City on Monday.

A 15-0 Nuggets run could be the end for the Clippers

The Nuggets have the Clippers on the ropes, folks. The Clippers opened the second half with a 3-pointer… and they haven’t scored since. Denver just scored the next 15 points consecutively and now leads by 23, 73-50. We’ve seen big comebacks in this series before. The Clippers nearly overcame a 22-point deficit in Game 4 to win in the fourth quarter. But with points at such a premium in Game 7 and the Clippers on the road, this might be it for them. 

Clippers make a lineup change to open the third

Interesting note here: the Clippers changed their starting lineup today by inserting Derrick Jones Jr. for Kris Dunn. They lost the first half by 11. So they’re making another opening lineup change in the third quarter: Jones out, Nic Batum in. The idea here is going to be playing with shooters at every position but center. Denver’s defense has survived largely by ignoring Dunn and Jones they can play 5-on-4 elsewhere. Ty Lue needs more offense, so he’s going with Batum.

Halftime: Nuggets 58, Clippers 47

You’ve surely heard the stats by now. Home teams win roughly three-quarters of all Game 7s in the NBA, and thus far, that has held up. The Nuggets lead the Clippers at halftime, 58-47, behind a stellar, come-from-behind second quarter. What’s amazing about their run thus far is that it hasn’t exclusively come behind their superstar, Nikola Jokić. Christian Braun leads all Nuggets with 11 points, and Russell Westbrook and Peyton Watson have given Denver big bench minutes.

The Clippers, meanwhile, can’t buy a bucket from deep. They are just 4-of-15 from 3-point range so far in Game 7, and that has made it much harder for them to get to the basket. James Harden has only seven points after one half. Kawhi Leonard is keeping the Clippers afloat with 14 in the first half. The road team has no one else in double figures.

Four years ago, these teams played an infamous Game 7 in which the heavily-favored Clippers collapsed after building a 3-1 series lead. This series hasn’t been quite the disaster that one was, but history is repeating itself in Game 7. If the Clippers can’t course-correct quickly, it will be the Nuggets that advance to face the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round.

A tale of two games for the former MVP teammates

Just something to note in what is increasingly feeling like a legacy game for BOTH James Harden and Russell Westbrook: The two MVPs are playing very, very different games so far. Harden has been nearly silent, scoring just five points on three shots thus far despite starting and serving as the primary ball-handler for the Clipper offense. Westbrook, meanwhile, has 10 points, three assists and two rebounds in essential bench minutes.

Denver survives the non-Jokić minutes

Well, strange things happen in Game 7s. The Nuggets have been killed in the minutes Nikola Jokić has rested for the past decade now. There was real thought coming into Game 7 that he might need to play all 48 minutes, or close to it. But when the Nuggets gave him three minutes and 10 seconds of rest in the second quarter, they quickly went on a 7-0 run and actually managed to take the lead. That’s an absolutely enormous boost in a game like this, where every point counts. Jokić might not need to come out again in this one, and if he does, he can at least feel better about his teammates holding down the fort.

Jokić struggling to score through a quarter

The Clippers lead Game 1 by five, 26-21, through a quarter, but the story of the first frame is how much the game’s best player is struggling. Nikola Jokić is generating offense as a passer, but he just hasn’t been able to put the ball through the hoop thus far. He is 0-for-6 from the field, his only two points coming at the foul line. Those passes are obviously important, but this is a Game 7. You need your best player to score. Denver’s isn’t right now, and that’s the difference.

The first of many highlights

Nikola Jokić is playing with his season on the line, so yea, some highlights tonight were a given. The first came a few minutes into the first quarter, when he pulled in this rebound and immediately hit Christian Braun on the run for a double-pump dunk. The Clippers have the early 9-5 lead, but we’ve only just begun in Denver.

New starting lineup for the Clippers:

The first starting lineup change of the series for either team is coming in Game 7. While Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, Ivica Zubac and Norman Powell remain in the opening five, Kris Dunn has been replaced by Derrick Jones Jr. Both Dunn and Jones have been targeted offensively by the Nuggets because they are poor shooters, but Jones is substantially bigger than Dunn is, signaling a possible shift in planned defensive matchups for the Clippers. Ty Lue has tried a number of creative defenses in this series, and it seems as though he’s saved another adjustment for last.

Best bets for Saturday’s Game 7

🚨 Game 6 final: Clippers 111, Nuggets 105

This series has lived up to the hype, and now it’s headed to Game 7

The Nuggets tried to make a push at the end, but the Clippers held on to force what should be a wild Game 7 in Denver on Saturday. 

James Harden reversed his recent trend of late-series stinkers with 28 points, eight assists and six rebounds, and Kawhi Leonard finished with 27 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Harden got it going early by getting to the basket and eventually was able to make three 3-pointers once he got a rhythm. 

When your two stars combine for 55 points you’re in pretty decent shape, but without the major contributions of L.A.’s support staff the Clippers would be going home. 

Norman Powell was fantastic with 24 points on 9-of-14 shooting. Ivica Zubac blocked four shots. Nic Batum stuffed the stat sheet with six points on a pair of 3-pointers, six assists, five rebounds, three blocks and two steals. 

The Nuggets, who were led by Nikola Jokić’s 25 points and Jamal Murray’s 21, had a real chance to put some serious heat on the Clippers with just over two minutes to play. They had trimmed a 15-point deficit to six in a little over three minutes and had a golden opportunity to cut it to four, which would’ve pushed their momentum into overdrive. But Russell Westbrook smoked a breakaway layup. 

So here we go for Game 7 on Saturday. This has been a fantastic series, and it shouldn’t end any other way. 

Halftime: Clippers 58, Nuggets 57

The Clippers and Nuggets are mired in yet another tight battle, as Denver attempts to punch its ticket to a second-round matchup with the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder. So far the Clippers have been plagued by terrible shooting (4 for 22 from 3-point range), while the Nuggets have been hurt by sloppy play (eight turnovers).

James Harden has been the go-to scorer and playmaker for the Clippers, logging 21 points and four assists, while Kawhi Leonard added 13 points and four rebounds.

On the other side, Nikola Jokić has looked for his own offense early, scoring 20 points to go with his five rebounds and four assists. The Nuggets shot 61.5% from the field in the first half, so it’s a bit surprising to see them down by a point.

The second half should be even more intense as the Clippers attempt to avoid elimination at home.

🚨 Game 5 final: Nuggets 131, Clippers 115

Nikola Jokić has carried the Denver Nuggets through this series and through this season, but on Tuesday, it was the Jamal Murray show as the three-time MVP’s sidekick led all scorers with 43 points. This is playoff Murray in a nutshell. While he’s struggled through injuries over the past few years, he has always been at his best under the bright lights. He delivered on Tuesday, and now the Nuggets hold a 3-2 series win over the Clippers. One more win and they advance to the second round. 

Murray wasn’t alone, though. Jokić, amazingly, was only Denver’s fifth-leading scorer with 13 points. The second half belonged to Murray, but the first half belonged to Russell Westbrook. His 16 points kept the Nuggets afloat during Jokić’s first rest stint. When his jumpers are falling, there’s no easy way to defend the Nuggets.

Now the Clippers have their backs against the wall. It’s a situation Kawhi Leonard relishes. Though he had a quiet 20 points tonight, his last Game 6 back in 2021 saw a historic 45-point explosion to save the Clippers against Dallas. Los Angeles will need that Leonard if they want to force a Game 7. If not? Get ready for a Nuggets-Thunder second-round series.

Halftime: Nuggets 67, Clippers 59

The Nuggets and Clippers have given us four of the most fun games of the playoffs so far, and unsurprisingly, Game 5 has been no exception. Denver leads at the half with home-court advantage in this tied series, but the Clippers haven’t let them run away with the game despite their fast start. They’ve already won a game in Denver in this series and will need to win another one at some point to advance to the second round.

The story of the game so far? The role players. Russell Westbrook checked into the game after missing Game 4 and immediately scored 16 points in nine minutes, which included two 3-pointers. That helped Denver survive the precarious Nikola Jokić bench minutes, which have vexed the Nuggets all series, all season, and really, throughout this entire era. Denver got him nearly five minutes of rest while only getting outscored by a single point. In Game 4, David Adelman played Jokić the entire second half, and if he plans to do so again, that stretch will have proven critical.

The Clippers, meanwhile, have gotten 11 key points and three 3-pointers out of Kris Dunn. Those numbers are far more important than they look on the page. Denver’s entire defense in this series has been based on helping off of non-shooters. That has largely included Dunn, who is punishing them for that tonight. The Clippers are scoring. They just can’t stop the Nuggets so far, so they trail at the half.

The Russell Westbrook game

The playoffs are full of surprises, and one of the biggest has been the performance of Russell Westbrook in this series between the Nuggets and Clippers. Westbrook’s shooting and defense saved Denver in Game 1. Now, he’s dominating Game 5. Through nine minutes of play, he has 16 points and two made 3-pointers. When a series gets down to “best of three” territory, it often comes down to which role player steps up and has a big game when his team needs it. Westbrook is doing that tonight.

🚨 Game 4 final: Nuggets 101, Clippers 99

WHAT. A. FINISH! Aaron Gordon just stunned the Clippers with one of the most incredible game-winning buckets in NBA history! The Denver Nuggets blew a 22-point fourth-quarter lead and looked destined for overtime after Nikola Jokić’s wild game-winning 3-point attempt missed. However, Gordon grabbed the miss out of the air and dunked it home right as the buzzer rang. It was called good on the floor, and upon replay, by the thinnest of margins, the call stood. The Nuggets have tied this series at two games apiece.

Gordon made the big play at the end, but Jokić took them most of the way home. He finished the game with 36 points, 21 rebounds and eight assists. The Clippers, meanwhile, very nearly stole the show with a historic comeback. An Ivica Zubac tip in with just eight seconds remaining tied the score at 99. Kawhi Leonard led the way with 24 points, and a 1-1-3 zone defense in the fourth quarter nearly swung the game, but in the end, Denver managed to pull out the stunner.

Now the series shifts back to Denver. Despite injuries to Russell Westbrook and Michael Porter Jr., despite the firings of head coach Michael Malone and general manager Calvin Booth, the Nuggets are two home wins away from the second round. The Clippers, meanwhile, are forced to pick up the pieces after one of the most unbelievable losses of the playoffs thus far.

We’ve got a game, folks!

Denver lead this game by 22 points in the fourth quarter, but here come the Clippers! It’s only an eight-point game after that steal and dunk by Kawhi Leonard with less than five minutes to go. If you turned this game off when it looked like the Nuggets had it won, you might want to check back in.

Halftime: Nuggets 50, Clippers 48

It’s halftime here in Los Angeles, but the story has less to do with the basketball we’ve seen and more to do with the skirmish that took place before the teams went to the locker room. With around six seconds remaining in the second quarter, Christian Braun committed a foul on James Harden, and the two shared some heated words. Soon after, both teams were locked in a heated exchange, with James Harden and Aaron Gordon at the center of it. Technical fouls were called on Harden, Norm Powell, Kris Dunn, Gordon, Braun and Nikola Jokić. Those techs offset, so no free throws were shot.

On the court, it’s been a back-and-forth affair in Los Angeles as the Nuggets and Clippers play a critical Game 4 in their first-round series. The Nuggets are dealing with several key injuries in this one. Russell Westbrook is out, while Michael Porter Jr. is playing with a big pad on his left shoulder due to an injury he suffered in Game 2.

Jokić has, unsurprisingly, been the star of the show for the Nuggets. The Clippers have done a good job of taking away his passing lanes, but he’s excelled as a scorer and rebounder. He has 15 points, eight rebounds and three assists at the half. The Clippers, meanwhile, have had a more balanced attack. No one in red and blue has reached double figures yet.

Nikola Jokić at the buzzer!

We’ve already gotten a crazy Kawhi Leonard highlight in this game. So sure, why not throw in a great Jokić highlight for good measure? In a wild end-of-quarter sequence, the Nuggets got a chance to score with 1.9 seconds remaining in the first quarter because the Clippers threw a full-court inbounds pass out of bounds. They responded by creating this buzzer-beating 3-pointer for Jokić to give the Nuggets a five-point lead after one.

Kawhi with the jam

Watching Kawhi Leonard in this series, you almost wouldn’t know how badly injuries have affected his career. He looks completely spry and at times utterly dominant. His 39-point Game 2 swung that game for the Clippers, who may be trailing Game 4 early, but have already gotten one incredible highlight play out of Leonard so far. Denver has been leaving Kris Dunn open all series, but when he missed this 3-point attempt, despite the extra bodies in the paint, Leonard was able to fly in for the putback jam.

Russ Westbrook, Michael Porter Jr. update

Best bets for Saturday’s Game 4

🚨 Game 3 Final: Clippers 117, Nuggets 83

After two tight games in Denver, the Clippers dominated Game 3

The Clippers took a 2-1 lead in their first-round series against the Nuggets on Thursday, and they did it with a total team effort. James Harden had 20 first-half points but didn’t even need to score in the second half for the Clippers to extend their 18-point halftime lead. Kawhi Leonard had 21 points, 11 rebounds and six assists. 

Denver actually got out to the faster start behind hot shooting from Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon, but the Clippers ended the first quarter on a 10-0 surge, aided by some hot shooting from Harden, and eventually rattled off a 23-2 run extending into the second quarter. It was never a game after that. 

The Nuggets were scrambling all over the place defensively trying to keep Harden and Leonard contained, and the Clippers were finding offense very easy as a result. It looks simple when it’s clicking as the Clippers, who had 26 assists and were simply moving the ball to the open guy to hit 3s or attack closeouts as Denver over-leveraged itself toward the stars. 

The Clippers are not typically a big 3-point team, but they made 18 of them at a 48% clip on Thursday. Denver made seven. Six Clippers made multiple 3s in this one, and that 33-point disparity in the 3-point column sunk Denver. 

After his hot start, Gordon went ice cold for the Nuggets, who were led in scoring by Nikola Jokić and Murray, who both had 23. 

Historically, teams that win Game 3 in a 1-1 series go on to win the series over 70% of the time, meaning the Nuggets have their work cut out for them to get out of the first round. 

Halftime: Clippers 65, Nuggets 47

The Clippers are lighting the Nuggets up in the first postseason game in the Intuit Dome. James Harden has been hunting offense from the start and has a game-high 20 points on 6-of-10 shooting including three 3-pointers. L.A. has already hit 12 3-pointers as a team at a 54% clip. 

You can tell the Clippers came with an intention to play faster. The energy is high and they’re not letting it bleed out with any lethargic possessions. Even in the half-court the tempo is aggressive and decisive. 

The Nuggets came out hot themselves, particularly Aaron Gordon and Jamal Murray, but the Clippers ran off a 10-0 spurt to close the first quarter and extended it in the second over what turned out to be a 23-2 run. 

Murray and Gordon lead the Nuggets with 13 points each, but the Nuggets have been outscored by 13 in Nikola Jokić’s minutes, which doesn’t happen often in a full game, let alone one half. That stat will obviously have to be flipped if the Nuggets are going to rally in the second half. 

Best bets for Thursday’s Game 3

🚨 Game 2 Final: Clippers 105, Nuggets 102

It’s only right that an incredible series like this is tied after two games

You are not going to find a more entertaining first-round playoff series than what the Clippers and Nuggets have going on right now, and it’s only right that it’s tied 1-1 heading to L.A. for Game 3 on Thursday after the Clippers pulled out Game 2 in Denver on Monday. 

Kawhi Leonard is on some 2019 Toronto stuff right now. Wherever the doctor is that worked on his knee, take a bow, because this dude was, and is, in vintage form with a masterful 39-point performance on 15-of-19 shooting including this nasty pull-up 3 to beat the first-half buzzer. 

It is impossible to overstate how incredible Leonard looks right now. He’s getting to his spots, hitting unbelievably tough contested shots of every variety. Nikola Jokić did his best to keep up with Leonard with a 26-point, 12-rebound, 10-assist triple double, but he committed seven turnovers and the Nuggets coughed it up 20 times. That, and Leonard, plus eight missed free throws for Denver was the difference. 

If there was a moment late in the game that it felt like Denver could’ve really put its hooks into L.A. it was with just under three minutes to play in the fourth quarter. The Nuggets were on a mini 6-2 run and about to take the lead with a wide-open Aaron Gordon dunk that would’ve blown the roof off the building, but he back-rimmed it. 

The Nuggets did manage to tie the game a minute later with a 3 by Jamal Murray, who was terrific all night with 23 points and four 3-pointers, but Norman Powell, who conversely struggled all night, hit probably the biggest shot of the game, a 3-pointer from the right wing to give the Clippers a lead they finally never relinquish. 

What a game. What a series. See you on Thursday. 

Halftime: Clippers 55, Nuggets 52

We’ve got another tight one in Denver, where the Nuggets looked like they were about to open up a big lead only for the Clippers to stay attached and then eventually rally back to take the halftime lead on a sick Kawhi Leonard buzzer beater. 

🚨 FINAL: Nuggets 112, Clippers 110

The Nuggets take a 1-0 series lead over the Clippers after a thrilling overtime win Saturday afternoon. Denver came back from a 15-point deficit in the first half, and stole a game from a Clippers team that looked in control for most of the afternoon. But it was the Nuggets, led by Nikola Jokić’s near triple-double (29 points, 12 assists, 9 rebounds), that came out on top.

Aaron Gordon and Jamal Murray provided Jokić with some much-needed support, and overcame a poor first half where the Nuggets shot just 30.8% from 3-point range. Russell Westbrook also came up clutch on a number of occasions, including a huge 3-pointer to tie the game up near the end of the fourth quarter, and causing a Clippers turnover with 9.6 seconds left, stopping L.A. from tying up the game.

The Clippers have got to be kicking themselves for losing this one after being in control for most of the afternoon. James Harden and Kawhi Leonard turned in vintage performances, combining for 54 points, but Ivica Zubac did his part with 21 points and 13 rebounds, but ultimately the Nuggets were more aggressive down the stretch, fighting for offensive boards and hitting big shots to pull out a win.

It was a tough loss for L.A., but this game showed us we’re in store for a thrilling series. This matchup could go the distance to seven games, and up next will be Game 2 Monday night.