Denver – Nikola Jokić is able to do everything.
For Denver Nuggets, it's much better if he doesn't have to do so. He did not have on Tuesday evening.
Presented by a big match by Jamal Murray and a sizzling passage from the Russell Westbrook bench, the Nuggets ran to a 131-115 victory over the Los Angeles clippers. The victory obtained a 3-2 lead for the Nuggets, which can close the series of the first round Thursday.
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Tuesday's victory saw a return to the playoffs for Murray, who played a decisive role in Denver's race at the NBA 2023 championship. Coupled by the injury in the last season, Murray failed to match his previous form, and the Nuggets failed to get out of the second round.
On Tuesday, Murray looked much more like his self in 2023. Murray scored 19 points in the first half that the Nuggets controlled entirely on the way to an advance of 69-57. He then opened the third trimester with a back jumper to maintain the momentum.
His fifth 3-point pointer from the match opened the Nuggets at 80-63 at the start of the third quarter.
When the Clippers threatened a race, Murray struck his sixth 3 of the match to extend the two-digit Denver's advance to 91-80. The mowers have never recovered.
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After a version of a match 4 in Los Angeles which ended with the exciting dunk of Aaron Gordon, the offensive of Denver was in the first order at home, thanks in large part to Murray. The mowers could not follow.
When the Clippers finally frustrated the nugget offensive for a second consecutive match with the defense of zone in the fourth quarter, it was Murray who stopped bleeding. He struck a frank launch on a transition taking a fault which he followed with a rider to repel the advance of Denver at 121-107 which almost won the victory of the Nuggets
Murray finished the match with 43 points and seven assists while pulling 17 out of 26 on the field and 8 out of 14 over a distance of 3 points.
Murray was not the only nugget hero
Westbrook was questionable until the pre-match warming with a foot injury put him away in match 4. It was eliminated just before TIP, which turned out to be good news for the Nuggets.
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Westbrook came out of the bench with 4:42 to do at the first quarter and the Nuggets holding an advance of 25-17. He returned to the bench with 3:49 to do in half for an ovation of the crowd of Denver. Westbrook scored 16 points in his 13-minute stay to help keep the Nuggets in control with an advance of 58-50.
Westbrook hit 3 points on consecutive possessions in the second quarter to extend Denver's advance to 45-32.
A lay-up and 1 and made free throws crowned the Westbrook score race at 16 points. It also highlighted his celebration of rock-the-baby.
Westbrook finished the match with 21 points while pulling 8 out of 15 on the field and 3 out of 6 out of 3. In a passage of Nuggets which was marked by Good Russ and Bad RussGood Russ showed up Tuesday evening.
Can Nuggets close it this time?
The Nuggets were in a similar position last season against the Minnesota Timberwolves. They won match 5 against the Timberwolves and faced a chance to close the series in match 6.
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But they did not do the job. The Timberwolves exploded the Nuggets in match 6, then set up a rally in the second half in match 7 to secure the series and darken the reigning champion nuggets in the second round.
Nugget coach David Adelman did not want to talk about the prospect of what match 5 victory would mean for the series at his pre-match press conference.
“We won this match last year,” said Adelman. “Everyone was so excited by the Swing match. And then we were absolutely blown away in match 6 and lost a really difficult match 7 in Minnesota.
“If you start to think in advance, hey, that's how the story will end – if you write a conclusion, I think you are in trouble.”
Unlike the latest playoffs, match 6 will be on the Nuggets road this time.
