Initial thoughts from the Nuggets’ Game 3 loss to the Clippers Thursday night at the Intuit Dome in the Western Conference playoffs.
1. Out of it at Intuit: The Clippers and their crowd displayed megawatts of energy. The Nuggets? Except for a hot start, they didn’t show enough juice to illuminate a light bulb. And to think, Nuggets interim coach David Adelman had the temerity to take the Clippers to task before Thursday night’s game at the Intuit Dome. “It’s like a high school crowd, which is actually really cool,” Adelman said. But he didn’t stop while he was ahead. “The other thing is they pump sound in the place. That place is so loud. It’s very loud whether the crowd is cheering or not,” he said. In the first playoff game at the Intuit Dome, the Clippers fans made noise, just as James Harden predicted: “I expect it to be rockin’ in there.” The Nuggets? They sulked quietly into the Los Angeles night.
2. MPJ disappears. On a night when the Nuggets desperately needed Michael Porter Jr. to provide a spark, especially on the offensive end, he was AWOL. Porter played hurt, and it showed. Porter scored just seven points on 2-of-9 shooting, including 1 of 6 from 3-point land in 35 minutes. Late in the fourth quarter, when the Nuggets waved the white flag, Porter headed to the locker room. He sprained his left shoulder late in a 105-102 Game 2 loss, but the Nuggets hoped he would be a force. He wasn’t. Also, after Porter’s 15-point, 15-rebound performance in Game 2, he said he was struggling to break in a new leg brace, the one he had worn for three years under his left sock until it recently broke.
3. Clippers sail away. Hard to believe, but the Nuggets led 20-14 with 7:25 left in the first quarter when Aaron Gordon drained a 3-pointer. At that point, Gordon had 11 of Denver’s 20 points (he finished with 15 points). But the Clippers took off and never looked back. The Nuggets stood around. L.A. went on an 18-2 run to take command. The run became 26-2 as L.A. scored 17 consecutive points. By halftime, the Clippers led 65-47 and had drained 12 of 23 3-pointers. That’s the most 3-pointers the Nuggets have ever given up in one half in a playoff game. L.A. cooled off in the second half but still made 18 of 39 (46.2%) from behind the arc. The Nuggets made 7 of 26 (26.9%).
