Clutch time has been the key for the Nuggets and Clippers through two games

The Denver Nuggets and the Los Angeles Clippers are headed to Los Angeles with the series tied at one game apiece after two thrilling clutch-time games in Denver to kick off the series. Now, the Nuggets now have to go out and steal a game back on the road, which will not be an easy task by any means. Thursday’s Game 3 will be the first-ever playoff game in the Intuit Dome, the brand-new arena that houses the Clippers, and it’s expected to be loud.

If Thursday’s clash gets into clutch time like the first two games have, Denver will automatically be at a slight disadvantage due to the hostile environment that is “The Wall” at the Intuit Dome. On top of that, The Clippers have been the better team in clutch time through the first two games.

Clutch time is defined by the NBA as the game being within five points with five minutes or less in the fourth quarter and overtime. Through two games, the series has seen 15 minutes of clutch action, with the next closest being four (Cleveland versus Miami). This is also the only series out of the eight to have both of the first two games be clutch scenarios.

Denver has out-hustled Los Angeles in clutch time so far, with 18 total rebounds compared to just seven for the Clippers. However, the Clippers are shooting the ball much better, as the Nuggets have .385/.333/.643 shooting splits in the clutch, while the Clippers are shooting .571/.444/.667. On top of that, the Nuggets have dominated in both offensive and defensive efficiency, but since they haven’t been able to capitalize on their shooting opportunities (especially free throws), they find themselves tied at one game all.

So what’s gone wrong for the Nuggets?

To start, Nikola Jokic, who finished second in Clutch Player of the Year voting, has not made a single field goal in the clutch in two games (0-4, 0-2 3pt) and has only made five of his eight free throws. Russell Westbrook has also taken the most field goal attempts by any player in the series with nine, making just three of them. Denver has arguably the best two-man game in the entire league with Jokic and Jamal Murray, but those two have combined to take less field goals than Westbrook has by himself.

On the other side, Ivica Zubac hasn’t missed a shot in the clutch while James Harden is 4-for-5.

This series has come down to clutch shot making by star players, and the Nuggets are getting laps ran around them in that category so far. Just last season, Jamal Murray took half of the Nuggets’ clutch field goal attempts by himself, and he made 88.9% (!!) of them. Jokic another third of the attempts, and made half of them.

The star players need to be the ones taking the shots when all the chips are on the table, and the Clippers and head coach Tyronn Lue have done a phenomenal job at getting their stars open looks while limiting those same looks for the Nuggets’ stars.

Jokic was one of the best clutch players in the league in the regular season while the entire starting lineup shot over 50% from the field. Obviously, that was with a different head coach, and it was not during a playoff series where the opposing team has endless hours to hone in on how to stop Denver’s attack. Nonetheless, David Adelman has been getting outcoached by Lue in clutch time to start the series, and he will have to work hard to get his best guys open looks to ensure that a underwhelming loss down the stretch doesn’t happen again.

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