Dont truly have much to add, this is just a fantastic quote..
Saturday night in the NBA playoffs was all about groups tying things up. After the Toronto Raptors beat the Boston Celtics in Game 4 of their series to make it 2-2, the Denver Nuggets did the same. They took down the Los Angeles Clippers, 110-101, in Game 2 to even their matchup at 1-1..
After getting burnt out in Game 1, the Nuggets came out with something to prove in Game 2, dropping 44 points in the first quarter to jump out to a 19-point lead. Their lead grew to as much as 23, and though the Clippers battled back in the 4th quarter, the Nuggets had the ability to hold on. Jamal Murray led all scorers with 27 points, while Nikola Jokic added 26 points and 18 rebounds..
Paul George chose 22 points, and the Clippers had six gamers in double figures on the night, however it wasnt nearly enough. They were awful on the protective end in the very first half, turned the ball over 17 times and shot 28.1 percent from 3-point range. Its hard to win playoff games with that combination of drawbacks..
Here are some crucial takeaways from the video game:.
Nuggets fourth-quarter response.
Denver was unstoppable early on, leaping out to a 19-point lead at the end of the very first quarter. Thats going to get headlines, and deservedly so, but it wasnt in fact the biggest stretch of the game for the Nuggets. Rather, it was their response in the 4th quarter after the Clippers had returned in the video game.
Early in the 4th, George drilled a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 5 points. With more than 8 minutes left in the game, the Nuggets were in the threat zone. They might have quickly collapsed at that point, like we saw the Bucks do the other night when the Heat began making a fourth-quarter run.
Instead, the Nuggets showed some impressive willpower, and came up with a response. Jokic entered for a cool reverse layup, then Gary Harris drained pipes 2 threes, prior to Jerami Grant got to the line for 2 free throws to make it a 10-0 run. All of unexpected they were back up by 15 with a little over five minutes to play.
The Clippers kept prodding, but that run by the Nuggets essentially ended the game..
Kawhi struggles for the very first time in the playoffs.
Coming off his Finals MVP performance last season, Kawhi Leonard has when again boggled the mind in the playoffs. He scored at least 29 points and contended least 45.5 percent in each of the Clippers first seven video games. That streak came to an end in Game 2, as he put up simply 13 points on 4-of-17 shooting from the field..
Not only was it his worst video game of this postseason, it was his lowest-scoring playoff efficiency considering that way back in 2016, when he was still with the Spurs. To be fair to Leonard, he was a bit unfortunate on the night. A number of his misses out on rimmed in and out, and he probably should have a couple of more calls than he got..
At the same time, Denver deserves credit for making things difficult. Grant put in an intense shift examining him all night long, and there were often assist protectors showing up to use help if Leonard entered into the lane. In addition to holding Leonard to his worst shooting night of the postseason, the Nuggets also required him into a playoff-high four turnovers..
Denvers function players step up.
Its been the Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic reveal for the Nuggets up until now in the playoffs. That duo is balancing 53.9 points per video game, or almost half of what the Nuggets score on a nightly basis. It wound up sufficing versus allure in the first round, but its not really sustainable to regularly get that much offense from just two gamers..
While Murray (27 points) and Jokic (26) blazed a trail as soon as again in Game 2, this time they got some aid. Four other Nuggets scored in double figures, with Paul Millsap and Harris going for 13 each, while Michael Porter Jr. came off the bench to chip in 11 and Monte Morris included 10..
That was the very best scoring game of the postseason for Harris, who went back to action late in the first round after handling a hip injury. His contributions were particularly crucial, as he knocked down 3 triples in the fourth quarter, consisting of two as part of a substantial 10-0 run that sealed the win..
If the Nuggets desire to disturb the Clippers in this series, theyre going to require more nights like this where multiple people step up and assist Murray and Jokic carry the load..
Amazing quote by Jokic.
After the Toronto Raptors beat the Boston Celtics in Game 4 of their series to make it 2-2, the Denver Nuggets followed fit. After getting blown out in Game 1, the Nuggets came out with something to prove in Game 2, dropping 44 points in the first quarter to leap out to a 19-point lead. Thats going to get headings, and deservedly so, however it wasnt really the greatest stretch of the video game for the Nuggets. With more than eight minutes left in the video game, the Nuggets were in the risk zone. That duo is balancing 53.9 points per game, or simply about half of what the Nuggets score on a nightly basis.
