Clippers steal Nuggets’ home-court advantage in Game 2 win; Series tied 1-1
Kawhi Leonard scores 39 in Clippers' Game 2 win
Kawhi Leonard scored 39 points to help the Los Angeles Clippers even the series at 1-1 against the Denver Nuggets in Round 1 of the NBA Playoffs.
DENVER (KTTV) - The Los Angeles Clippers beat the Denver Nuggets 105-102 in Game 2 of the first round of the NBA playoffs.
With the win, the Clippers now steal the Nuggets’ home-court advantage as they head to Intuit Dome with the best-of-7 series tied 1-1.
Clippers' Kawhi Leonard finished Game 2 with 39 points to help Los Angeles avoid a 2-0 series hole. Three-time MVP Nikola Jokić finished the game with a triple double – 26 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists – for the Nuggets.
The series heads to Inglewood for Games 3 and 4 with the next showdown tipping off on Thursday, April 24 at 7 p.m. PT.
SERIES SCHEDULE
GAME 1: Nuggets 112, Clippers 110. Final/OT
GAME 2: Clippers 105, Nuggets 102. Final.
GAME 3: Nuggets at Clippers. Thursday, April 24, 7 p.m. PT
GAME 4: Nuggets at Clippers. Saturday, April 26, 3 p.m. PT
GAME 5: Clippers at Nuggets. Tuesday, April 29. TBD.
GAME 6*: Nuggets at Clippers. Thursday, May 1. TBD.
GAME 7*: Clippers at Nuggets. Saturday, May 3. TBD.
HOW THEY GOT HERE
The Los Angeles Lakers, Denver Nuggets and the Clippers all clinched spots in the Western Conference side of the playoff bracket after finishing the season with a 50-32 record. The tiebreaker – and the No. 3 seed – ended up going to the Lakers after they won the Pacific Division.
The Nuggets landed home-court advantage – and the 4th seed – after Denver ended up having a better record against other teams in the west compared to the Clippers, who ended up getting the No. 5 seed.