Kawhi claws for the Clippers as Nuggets drop Game 2

DENVER — Two-time NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard turned back the clock on Monday, scorching the Denver Nuggets for 39 points on just four missed shots. It led the Los Angeles Clippers to a 105-102 win.

Leonard led a trio of Clippers to get going in the Mile High City to steal home court back from the Nuggets. Denver’s final two threes to send it to overtime were missed, and they went home despite 26 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists from Nikola Jokic. The Nuggets at 1-1 in the series and go to Los Angeles on Thursday. NBA teams are 52-28 when winning Game 1 at home and then losing Game 2.

The Nuggets came out with insane energy, forcing two timeouts by Clippers coach Ty Lue during the first quarter. Nikola’s two steals led Denver’s defense, which forced five turnovers as they ran for 14 fastbreak points. Where Michael Porter Jr. struggled in Game 1, he quickly tallied six points and three rebounds in the first, as the Nuggets out-rebounded Los Angeles, the best rebounding team in the NBA during the regular season, by four.

Leonard stayed hot into the second quarter, doing his best Terminator bit. He made his first six shots of the game, scoring half of the Clippers’ first 29 points. They tied it briefly, but the Nuggets just barely kept the lead until Jokic checked back in midday through the period. That’s when the offense began humming again, but it wasn’t enough; Leonard kept punching for Los Angeles. He finished the half with a heavily-contested running buzzer-beater from deep to give the Clippers a 55-52 lead and the forward his 21st point of the game on just one missed shot. Jokic’s slow scoring start carried into the break, with the big man only having eight points and only taking one shot from inside the arc in the half. While he was good with the ball, Denver threw five turnovers in the quarter. Murray was responsible for three of them. The Clippers returned the favor with 10 fast-break points just in that segment.

Harden got going late in the second quarter, and that carried over into the third, where he was one of three Clippers doing real scoring. Ivica Zubac was picking up buckets throughout the game and making life hard for Jokic. The game went back and forth for the early portions of the second half. Midway through the period, Norman Powell two-handed shoved Murray coming off a screen and dragged him across the court, where the two met in a bear hug. Murray’s physical play got under Powell’s skin, who shoved him after the whistle. Christian Braun shoved Powell back and Kris Dunn pushed him. The tense moment resulted in two technicals for the Clippers and one for the Nuggets. Murray stroked his shot from the stripe, and it sparked an avalanche of whistles from Marc Davis and Ed Malloy, who had swallowed theirs for most of the game. The Ball Arena crowd was restless as the Clippers used these anxious moments to take their largest lead of seven late in the third quarter. Braun got called for two moving screens, not only resulting in turnovers but also giving the key defender four fouls. But Jokic hit a three and put back his miss to get the Clippers’ lead back down to 78-76 going into the fourth, finishing off his 13-point quarter.

Jamal Murray and Norman Powell get into a scuffle 👀

Playoff hoops! #MileHighPlayoffs

pic.twitter.com/78YeWosvkN

— Denver Sports 104.3 (@DenSports1043) April 22, 2025

Jokic stayed in to start the fourth quarter and drilled a three to start the period. But things quickly got bleak as a bad Russell Westbrook turnover sparked some Los Angeles momentum, and they quickly retook a six-point lead with 10 minutes to go. The Nuggets came out of that timeout with a wide-open catch-and-shoot three that Westbrook drilled it. Jokic scored from the block to cut it. Then Westbrook got it open in the corner again and equalized the score at 89. It’s right here where Leonard finally missed two consecutive shots. And the Nuggets took advantage of that and Westbrook’s shooting to draw free throws, where the former MVP retook the lead for the Nuggets with seven minutes to play. The lead ping-ponged with Leonard finding his shot again and diming while Michael Porter Jr. and Jokic worked inside. Porter popped one from three to tie it back up at 96, then got a clutch offensive rebound to notch a free throw as the Nuggets re-took the lead. A Zubac score gave it right back to the Clippers and Aaron Gordon missed a wide-open dunk that would’ve been the response. Leonard and Murray traded shots, and the Arrow’s was from deep to tie things back up at 100. The Clippers hit a three off a scramble where Porter banged up his shoulder to take the lead at 103-100 with 90 seconds left. Jokic got inside where Zubac hacked him for a fifth foul, and Nikola knocked both down. He got shivered in the chest by James Harden on defense moments later, but there was no foul called. Kawhi scored on the possession. Jokic turned it over, and that was about it.

Game 3 is in California on Thursday.