The Denver Nuggets are up 1-0 in the series against the Los Angeles Clippers after an incredible Game 1 victory in overtime over the weekend. It was a great way for both teams to set the tone of the series, and the Nuggets finding a way to win was massive. There’s a sigh of relief that can be had, and the pressure on Game 2 is squarely on the Clippers after they nearly stole homecourt from Denver.
Now, Denver can’t relax entirely. Los Angeles will be bringing some adjustments to the table, and if the Nuggets will be forced to do the same. What kinds of adjustments can be expected?
Let’s talk basketball.
Denver Nuggets vs Los Angeles Clippers
Projected Starting Lineups
Denver: Jamal Murray, Christian Braun, Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon, Nikola Jokic
Los Angeles: James Harden, Norman Powell, Kris Dunn, Kawhi Leonard, Ivica Zubac
Key Bench Players
Denver: Jalen Pickett, Russell Westbrook, and Peyton Watson played in Game 1. Zeke Nnaji and DeAndre Jordan did not play.
Los Angeles: Bogdan Bogdanovic, Derrick Jones Jr., Nicolas Batum, and Ben Simmons played in Game 1. Amir Coffey did not play.
Notable Injuries
Denver: Aaron Gordon – PROBABLE (right calf injury management), DaRon Holmes II – OUT
Los Angeles: None
Key for the Nuggets – Keep Forcing Turnovers
The formula was simple in Game 1. The Clippers had 20 turnovers that the Nuggets turned into 29 points. Kawhi Leonard had an uncharacteristic seven turnovers as the Nuggets sent aggressive help on his drives to turn him into a playmaker for others. Norman Powell and Bogdan Bogdanovic also combined for seven turnovers of their own as the Nuggets ratcheted up the pressure across the board.
Several of those turnovers were unforced errors that the Clippers should be able to clean up. Still, when the Nuggets are able to force upper tier teams to turn the ball over, it’s often a good sign. It’s not the only thing they need to do, but winning the possession battle is something Denver rarely accomplished. It’s everything in the playoffs.
Important Matchup – Michael Porter Jr. vs Norman Powell
This is the same matchup as I had in Game 1, and I don’t see any reason to change that.
Regarding Porter, I wrote about Denver not closing with MPJ in the fourth quarter and overtime, playing one of their Core Four players just 26 minutes. That wasn’t an accident. Porter had three points on four shots and looked uncomfortable. The Clippers are applying a ton of pressure to Porter on both ends of the floor, and how he handles it in Game 2 will be very interesting to see.
The same can be said for Norman Powell, who had 12 points on 12 shots. The Nuggets did a great job of defending without fouling against Powell who couldn’t generate the same space against the Nuggets that he had in the regular season. Can the Nuggets find a way to contain Powell again?
Series Adjustment – Kris Dunn leaving Russell Westbrook
I wanted to outline the play that got Westbrook the insanely clutch wide open three to show exactly what the Nuggets are dealing with from a spacing perspective.
The game plan from the Clippers with Westbrook on the floor spacing in the corner was pretty clear. They put Dunn on Westbrook and wanted him to muck up the two-man game between Jokic and Murray as much as possible. At times, that meant straight up doubling Murray at halfcourt and leaving Westbrook open.
There’s a balance to strike here. The Nuggets should try to use Westbrook being left wide open to their advantage, and it’s up to Westbrook, Jokic, and the Nuggets coaching staff to figure out what that entails.
However, if Westbrook doesn’t hit enough shots, or turnovers ensue from trying too much, or the Nuggets are simply missing the spacing too much, Denver will have to adjust to find another closing lineup that can do enough defensively in the process. Westbrook’s impact in Game 1 was high despite the errors though. If the Nuggets can live with the issues, that’s a good thing.
Number of the Day – 60.0
60.0 was the Nuggets Offensive Rating in the seven minutes Nikola Jokic rested during Game 1, according to NBA.com. That led to Denver having an impressive -46.3 Net Rating with Jokic off the floor. It was actually slightly worse without Murray as the Nuggets had a -68.5 Net Rating in the five minutes Murray sat.
During the non-Jokic minutes specifically, the Nuggets primarily used Russell Westbrook, Michael Porter, Aaron Gordon, and Peyton Watson to create offense in the halfcourt. In the fourth quarter, Murray came in during the non-Jokic minutes but missed some shots. With the switch-ability that the Clippers have on their second unit, the Nuggets are going to have to turn defense into transition offense when they can. Look for Murray to initiate more and Denver to try and switch hunt both Bogdan Bogdanovic and Norman Powell when they can.
Nugget who should have a good game: Jamal Murray
I’m expecting a bounce back game for Murray. He often starts a series slow but finds more comfort as things progress. The shots he got in Saturday’s game were good, but he shot just 7-of-20 for 21 points. The good news for Denver was that he had nine rebounds, seven assists, three turnovers, and solid defense overall. The rest of the impact was there for Murray. Now he just has to make the important shots throughout the game. He made some big ones in Game 1. I’m expecting even better in Game 2.