For the Clippers to become the fifth seed in the competitive Western Conference and avoid the NBA’s play-in tournament, they had to win their last two games of the regular-season, at Sacramento and Golden State, respectively, and both games came down to the wire.
The Clippers escaped with a victory over the Kings by one point after James Harden turned the ball over late in the game that led to DeMar DeRozan missing a potential game-winning shot as time expired. The Clippers got by the Warriors in overtime behind Harden scoring 12 of their 13 points in the extra five-minute period en route to 39 points.
The Clippers are on a roll, having won eight straight games and 17 of their last 20.
The top six teams in each conference qualify for the playoffs while the next four teams play for the seventh and eight seeds. Here’s how it works.
Kawhi Leonard finished the season strong, showing no signs of slowing down because of a right knee injury that kept him out much of the season. Ivica Zubac and Norman Powell have both starred in their roles, giving the Clippers two more weapons.
So when the Clippers and the Denver Nuggets open their best-of-seven playoff series Saturday at 12:30 p.m. at Ball Arena, it has the makings of a very intense and close series.
Let’s take a quick look at how the matchup:
Clippers
Record: 50-32
Offensive rating (OFF RTG): 114.3 (15th)
Defensive rating (DEF RTG): 109.4 (3rd)
Net rating (NET RTG): 4.9 (5th)
(*Net rating subtracts defensive rating from offensive rating for a projected margin of victory.)
Nuggets
Record: 50-32
Offensive rating (OFF RTG): 118.9 (4th)
Defensive rating (DEF RTG): 115.1 (21th)
Net rating (NET RTG): 3.8 (9th)
Clippers
James Harden: 22.8 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 8.7 APG, 41.0 FG%, 35.2 3FG%, 87.4 FT%
Kawhi Leonard: 21.5 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 3.1 APG, 49.8 FG%, 41.1 3FG %, 81 FT%
Ivica Zubac: 16.6 PPG, 12.6 RPG, 2.7 APG, 1.1 BLK PPG, 62.8 FG%, 66.1 FT%
Nuggets
Nikola Jokic: 29.6 PPG, 12.7 RPG, 10.2 APG, 57.6 FG%, 41.7 3FG%, 80.0 FT$
Jamal Murray: 21.4 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 6.0 APG, 47.4 FG%, 39.3 3FG%, 88.6 FT%
Michael Porter Jr.: 18.2 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 2.1 APG, 50.4 FG%, 39.5 3FG$, 76.8 FT%
James Harden scores 12 points in overtime as Clippers beat Warriors and will face Denver in the first round of the NBA playoffs.
Season series: (2-2)
Oct. 26, 2024, in Denver
This was the beginning of Powell’s breakout season, a sign that he was ready to step into a big void with Leonard out recovering from a right knee injury and Paul George having taken his talents to the 76ers. Powell exploded for a career-high 37 points on 14-for-21 shooting and seven-for-11 from three-point range.
Nikola Jokic was a force with 41 points, but with Harden producing 23 points and 16 assists, the Clippers pulled off the win.
Dec. 1, 2024 in Los Angeles
It took Harden playing 38 minutes, 25 seconds and producing 39 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds and it took Powell adding 28 points for the Clippers to overcome the brilliance of Jokic’s 28 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists.
In Bronny James’ first Lakers start, the rookie had four points on two-of-10 shooting and a plus/minus of -23. Coach JJ Redick gave LeBron’s son an A+ grade for the season.
Dec. 13, 2024 in Denver
This time, it was Nuggets guard Jamal Murray who did the Clippers in. He had 20 points on a night when Jokic had just 16 points, seven rebounds and two assists. Harden struggled taking care of the ball during this game, turning it over nine times. He had just 15 points, while Powell had 16.
Jan. 8 in Denver
Leonard flew back to Los Angeles before the game to help his family deal with the wildfires. Powell had 30 points. Murray led the Nuggets with 21 points and nine assists and Russell Westbrook had 19 points and eight assists.
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