Nikola Jokic, Nuggets Eliminate Clippers as NBA Fans Hype Round 2 Matchup vs. Thunder

The Denver Nuggets are moving on to the Western Conference semifinals!

With a 120-101 win over the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 7 of the first round on Saturday in Denver, the Nuggets will face the No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round.

Six players finished in double digits as Aaron Gordon led the team with 22 points, five assists, and one block, shooting 9-of-16 from the field in the victory. Christian Braun added 21 points on 8-of-15 shooting. Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and Russell Westbrook each contributed 16 points and Michael Porter Jr. had 15. 

On the other side of the court, Kawhi Leonard posted 22 points, shooting 6-of-13 from the field, while James Harden added seven points, shooting 2-of-8 from the field.

The No. 4 seeded Nuggets took Game 1 of the series before dropping two straight to the No. 5 seeded Clippers. Bouncing back, Denver won two in a row, but fell short in Game 6 in Los Angeles, which could have sealed the series.

They got it done anyway, advancing in search of another NBA title after their dominant 2023 Championship performance.

Fans praised Westbrook's impact and Denver's win after the gritty series concluded at home in Game 7.

Derrick Jones Jr. caught fire early for the Clippers, scoring seven quick points, while Braun kept the Nuggets close with five of his own to open the game.

Both teams’ stars got off to slow starts—Jokic didn’t score his first points until he hit free throws midway through the first quarter and Leonard found his first basket with 5:21 remaining in the period. 

The Clippers held a five-point lead after the first 12 minutes.

The Nuggets opened the second quarter with a 7-0 run, cooling off a hot start from Leonard, who went 3-of-5 from the field in the period. 

Denver dominated the quarter, outscoring the Clippers 37-21 to take a 58-47 lead into halftime. 

Leonard led Los Angeles with 14 points at the break, while Harden struggled, going just 2-of-6 for seven points. Norman Powell chipped in four, and Ivica Zubac added eight. Braun paced the Nuggets with 11 points, while Gordon and Westbrook each scored 10, and Jokic had nine.

Out of halftime, Denver dominated, holding the Clippers to just seven points in nearly seven minutes, as they pushed their lead to 24 points. With eight points each from Gordon and Braun, the Nuggets outscored the Clippers 35-19 while shooting 67% from the field compared to the Clippers' 41%.

Westbrook put the exclamation on it after the Nuggets hit back-to-back buckets, capped off by a steal that led to a massive dunk by the 36-year-old. He hyped up the crowd, receiving a hanging-on-the-rim technical foul in the process, leading the Clippers to empty their bench with under six minutes left.

The Nuggets and Thunder series will kick off Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals on Monday in Oklahoma City.