The fifth-seeded Los Angeles Clippers appeared to be on the verge of taking a decisive 3-1 series lead over the Denver Nuggets in Game 4 of the Western Conference quarterfinal on Saturday at Intuit Dome. Instead, the series has turned into a slugfest.Ā
In Game 4, Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon stepped up in crunch time to deliver a much-needed response after the Nuggets blew a 22-point lead. The Clippers took their first lead of the game near the final minute of regulation.
With the game tied in the closing seconds, Gordon collected an errant 3-pointer from three-time NBA MVP Nikola JokiÄ and delivered an emphatic dunk at the buzzer to seal a series-tying 101-99 victory.
Aaron Gordon saved the Nuggets season by millisecondsĀ
Video review confirmed that the ball left Gordonās hands above the rim just milliseconds before the closing buzzer. The dunk saved the Nuggets from a fourth quarter in which the Clippers outscored Denver 34-16.
There is no shortage of bad blood between the two teams, and tensions have simmered as theyāve exchanged blows on the court. Gordon almost wasnāt available for his last-second heroics after his involvement in a skirmish near the end of the first half that resulted in six offsetting technical fouls. After avoiding an ejection during the heated exchange with Clippers guard James Harden, Gordon slammed in the game-winning dunk with Harden on his back.
The Nuggets have faced an uphill battle ever since their stunning decision to fire head coach Michael Malone on the eve of the NBA playoffs, but David Adelman has stepped in and led the team to a 2-2 series tie. The Nuggets will return to Denver for Game 5 on Tuesday, where theyāll look to regain the series lead.
Denver took advantage of a sloppy performance by the Clippers in the opening game of the series, and Nuggets point guard Russell Westbrook stepped into the spotlight against his former team. Westbrook drained a corner 3-point shot to give Denver a two-point lead late in regulation, then knocked an inbounds pass away from Harden to clinch Denverās 112-110 victory in overtime.Ā
In Game 2, Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard answered with a 39-point performance to snatch home-court advantage from the fourth-seeded Nuggets. After two close road games, the Clippers cruised to a 117-83 victory in Game 3 to take the series lead in front of their home crowd.