Normally an offensive juggernaut with superstar Nikola Jokic leading the charge, the Nuggets silenced the Clippers with a stifling defensive performance. They held Los Angeles to 21 points in the second quarter and 19 in the third to build up an insurmountable 27-point lead going into the final frame.

The Clippers won Game 2 at Ball Arena 105-102, and twice in the Nikola Jokic era the Nuggets have succumbed in a Game 7 at home, against Portland in 2019 and against Minnesota last year when Denver blew a 20-point second-half lead.

After taking a 2-1 series deficit to the LA Clippers, many believed the Denver Nuggets were doomed to be a first-round exit. The Nuggets, on the other hand, did