One. Two. Three. Cancun: Clippers crush Nuggets in Game 3

The Los Angeles Clippers rode a 23-2 run in the first half to crush the Denver Nuggets 117-83 in Game 3, taking a commanding 2-1 series lead.

The Nuggets tried a bold defensive strategy early that zoned up the Clippers. It left Los Angeles’ shooters open, and they chucked from distance and connected plenty of times. The onslaught from deep, combined with Denver’s bench struggles and inability to score consistently, and the game quickly turned into a blowout.

Despite a Nikola Jokic triple-double of 23 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists, he was outplayed by a Clippers crew keen on cutting off the three-time MVP. Still he is the only player in NBA history to get at least that statline in a playoff game and lose by double-digit, which has happened to him and the Nuggets twice in the past two seasons.

Both James Harden and Norman Powell got their shots going while Kawhi Leonard and Ivica Zubac did just about everything else. All four had over 19 points, with Claw grabbing 11 boards and Beard tossing nine helpers.

Jamal Murray was decent as well, scoring 23 points on 15 shots. But the Clippers made it clear that they were going to let any other Nuggets players besides Joker and Blue Arrow beat them, and that group could not. Los Angeles’ starters outplayed Denver’s for a third-straight game, all the while the Nuggets’ bench scored just five points to the Clippers’ 19 before garbage time.

The Clippers ended the night with 18 threes on 39 attempts. Killing the Nuggets from deep, who cashed seven, of their 26 attempts.

Teams that go up 2-1 in a series after splitting the first two on the road are 54-36 all-time in seven-game series in NBA history.

Game 4 is on Saturday afternoon in Los Angeles. The last time Denver was down 2-1 to Los Angeles in a series, they lost Game 4 before stunning the NBA by pulling a 3-1 comeback during the 2020 bubble playoffs. This year doesn’t seem to have the same energy, with the team already having fired their bombastic coach, Michael Malone.