Thunder’s preferred matchup: Clippers or Nuggets?
For The Hoops crew discuss whether the Thunder would prefer to face the Clippers or Nuggets in the second round of the NBA playoffs
The first Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Playoffs is upon us.
The Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Denver Nuggets 111-105 in Game 6 on Thursday to force a decisive Game 7 on Saturday. The Clippers led by as many as 15 points at home at the Intuit Dome, but the Nuggets went on a 15-5 run in the fourth quarter to come within five points with 58.1 seconds remaining. Denver wasn’t able to pull it off and missed out on an opportunity to close out the series. Now it’s anyones game.
James Harden led the way for the Clippers with 28 points, eight assists and six rebounds. Kawhi Leonard added 27 points and 10 rebounds, while Norman Powell had 21 points and three rebounds.
Nikola Jokic finished with 25 points, eight assists and seven rebounds for Denver. Jamal Murray added 21 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.
The Nuggets are 4-4 all-time in Game 7s, while the Clippers are 4-of-5. However, the Nuggets have had slightly better luck recently and have won two of the past three Game 7s, while the Clippers have lost three of the past four. The rested Oklahoma City Thunder await the winner of this series after sweeping the Memphis Grizzlies.
End of 3Q: Clippers 90, Nuggets 79
The Clippers began to pull away in the third quarter, building a lead as large as 15 against the Nuggets. L.A. managed to outscore the Nuggets 32-22. James Harden had 23 points and Kawhi Leonard had 22 points through three quarters. Norman Powell provided a spark with 11 of his 19 points in the third. Nikola Jokic was limited to just three points in the quarter. He had 20 points for the Nuggets in the first half.
The Clippers outscored the Nuggets 33-29 in the second quarter to take a 58-57 lead at halftime.
James Harden has bounced back from his recent performances to score 21 points and shoot 7-of-10 from the field. He scored just 26 points combined in Games 4 and 5.
Kawhi Leonard added 13 points for the Clippers.
Nikola Jokic leads the Nuggets with 20 points and Jamal Murray has 12 points, six assists and six rebounds for Denver.
The Los Angeles Clippers started the first quarter with some momentum, but Jamal Murray continued where he left off, scoring a game-high 12 points in the opening quarter for the Nuggets.
The Nuggets lead the Clippers 28-25.
Kawhi Leonard and Norman Powell led the Clippers in scoring with six points each. L.A. went 1-for-10 from the three-point line in the quarter.
How to watch Nuggets vs. Clippers: Time, TV, streaming info
- Time: 10 p.m. ET
- TV: TNT
- Stream: Fubo
- Location: Intuit Dome (Inglewood, California)
James Harden, Kris Dunn, Norman Powell, Kawhi Leonard and Ivica Zubac will start the game for Los Angeles, marking the same lineup the Clippers have used in the first five games of the series.
The Nuggets are turning to the same starting lineup they’ve used the first five games of the first-round series — Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Christian Braun, Michael Porter Jr. and Aaron Gordon.
Kawhi Leonard prepares for Game 6 as the Clippers host the Nuggets tonight. Through the first five games of the first-round series, Leonard has averaged 25.5 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 5.2 assists in 38.4 minutes per game.
Nuggets vs. Clippers Game 6 schedule
Game 6 of the NBA playoff series between the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Clippers is set to tipoff at 10 p.m. ET on Thursday, May 1.
The Clippers will host the Nuggets at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.
In his ninth season and first with the Clippers, Dunn averaged 6.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 74 regular-season games with a career-high 58 starts. Through the first five games of the playoff series against the Nuggets, Dunn is averaging 7.8 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.2 assists, while shooting 41.7% from the field and 39.1% from three.
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
