Nuggets take insane Game 1 from Clippers in OT

DENVER — Christian Braun hit a massive three-pointer with under a minute left in overtime as the Denver Nuggets erased a 15-point first-half lead to take Game 1, 112-110, against the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday.

Braun not only hit the key shot but also made several big stops during the game and dove into the crowd for a loose ball in overtime, swinging the game for the Nuggets. He tallied 11 points, and had two steals. Braun was the spark as Nikola Jokic carried the Nuggets with 29 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds. Also igniting the Nuggets was Russell Westbrook who made a huge shot in regulation and made the game-clinching defensive stop.

The game started at a torrid pace for both teams, but the Nuggets settling for threes eventually led to a Clippers 9-0 run. Los Angeles abused Denver in the pick-and-roll early, and the Nuggets’ only successful defensive look was zone schemes. The Nuggets fought back from a 29-17 deficit to make it 35-27 Clippers by quarter’s end as Denver’s bench gave a nice little spark for a 10-0 run. It was James Harden’s 15 points working on Christian Braun and a vicious pick-and-roll that powered the Clippers. He had their final 13 points of the period. At the same time, in the first, Jokic tallied seven points, three rebounds and two assists but was nearly even with Ivica Zubac’s eight, three and two.

Harden checked out for the start of the second quarter, and it became Kawhi Leonard’s turn. He shot over Russell Westbrook and other smaller defenders for a quick 12 points in a few minutes to give Los Angeles a 15-point lead. The bench’s initial burst was quickly flipped, with them being completely outplayed in the early part of the second quarter. Jokic checked back in, and slowly the Nuggets surged back, thanks to a 13-2 closing run where they cut the count to 53-49 Clippers at halftime. But toward the end of the period, both Harden and Jokic picked up a third foul.

Jamal Murray started the second half with a couple of free throws, a sign of what Denver needed. But it was Jokic, who carried, notching 12 points in the period to help the Nuggets stay in it. Murray battled his own legs but got it going in the third for seven points. Dnever only attempted one three in the period, and it was a heave at the buzzer. Clearly, David Adelman’s message during intermission was to get to the rim, and it worked to take the Clippers’ lead down to 75-72.

Adelman started with Jokic on the bench in the fourth quarter, the Nuggets survived the stretch to be down just five when the three-time MVP checked back in with nine-plus minutes left. Quickly, Denver used fouls from the Clippers to erase the lead, and Murray equalized with a three with 7:30 left. But a Nicolas Batum three gave the Clippers back the lead, and down low as the shot was going i,n Jokic was cheap-shotted by Derrick Jones Jr. The refs missed it, and Jokic went down for 20 seconds on the baseline. Only getting up to yell at the officials, for which he was given a technical foul for. It was part of a 6-0 Clippers run. But a more calm Jokic out of a timeout steadied the situation, getting a big bucket. Murray and Aaron Gordon followed with triples and Braun notched a circus layup, getting it right back down to 92-91, Los Angeles. And that’s when a closing Russell Westbrook gave the Nuggets their first lead at 93-92 since Hector was a pup, notching a putback layup. But just after he missed a fastbreak layup and the Clippers got the lead back right away with free throws. But Westbrook got another bucket on a layup, and Gordon did some strong work on the offensive glass to secure free throws, but Jokic missed them both. The Clippers took another lead at 96-95 with 1:11 left. Another empty Nuggets possession meant Denver needed a huge stop, and they got it from a Jamal Murray steal on Leonard. Clippers assistant Jeff Van Gundy wouldn’t let Jokic grab the ball out of bounds, which meant the Nuggets couldn’t use pace. In the halfcourt, Denver found a wide-open Westbrook in the corner to hit a three to take the lead. But a Harden layup tied the count at 98 as the Nuggets wasted their final opportunity, not getting a shot off, and the game went to overtime.

THE RUSSELL WESTBROOK EXPERIENCE

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Aaron Gordon started the extra period with a massive driving dunk. Harden again responded with a layup. Murray made a floater to put the Nuggets up three, but the response came via a Leonard make. Gordon found twine moments later under the hoop. And Denver got an injection of momentum when Braun dove for a loose ball. But anytime the Nuggets could put it away, Westbrook bricked. So Harden again responded with a layup, and a wild Nuggets trip down with a minute left resulted in a Braun three. With the Clippers down four, Harden took advantage of a turnover to hit a three, giving Los Angeles a shot. With 10 seconds left and down three, Westbrook denied the pass and tipped it off the Clippers to secure a Nuggets win.

CLUTCH CHRISTIAN BRAUN 🔥

Gives the Nuggets a 4-point lead with under a minute to go in OT on ESPN!

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— NBA (@NBA) April 19, 2025