James Harden scores 28 points and Clippers force Game 7 with a gritty 111-105 win over Nuggets
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — With their season hanging by a thread, Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue did something a little unusual. On the team’s day off, he started making calls—checking in with his players to see where their heads were at. “I took a lot of temperatures,” he said, just trying to make sure his team was mentally locked in.
In Game 6, they showed up—and then some.
James Harden bounced back in a big way, putting up 28 points and dishing out eight assists, leading the Clippers to a gritty 111-105 win over the Denver Nuggets on Thursday night. With the victory at the brand-new Intuit Dome, L.A. kept their playoff hopes alive and pushed the series to a decisive Game 7.
Kawhi Leonard added 27 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists in a strong all-around performance, while Norman Powell chipped in 24 off the bench. The Clippers, stung by back-to-back losses, came out with renewed energy—particularly on the defensive end, where they made life difficult for Denver’s star big man, Nikola Jokic.
Jokic still managed 25 points, but 20 of those came in the first half. The Clippers clamped down after the break, holding the reigning MVP scoreless for over 11 minutes in the third quarter. He finished just 2-of-9 from the field in the second half.
“I give our guys credit for staying with it,” said Lue. “They didn’t fold, and they understood what it would take to win tonight. It was a real team effort.”
Game 7 will be in Denver on Saturday, where the Nuggets now face a win-or-go-home situation. It’s a familiar, and uncomfortable, position for them: Denver has now lost four of its last five potential closeout games since winning the title last year. That includes blowing a 3-2 lead to Minnesota in the 2023 playoffs.
“They just wanted it more,” said Jamal Murray, who led Denver with 21 points. “They played desperate, and they deserved this one.”
For the Clippers, Harden was a spark from the opening tip, playing with purpose and pace after being criticized for a passive Game 5 showing. Leonard, always the steady hand, played like a true leader.
“It was win or go home,” Harden said. “So when the opportunity came to be aggressive, I took it. We’ve got one more to go.”
The defensive duo of Ivica Zubac and Nicolas Batum stepped up big in slowing down Jokic—no easy task. Their effort helped the Clippers build a 15-point lead with under six minutes left in the game.
Denver made a late push with an 11-2 run to cut the lead to six, but Powell drained a huge three with under two minutes left—L.A.’s only field goal in the final 5:57. Still, the Clippers leaned on their defense in crunch time to close it out. Zubac swatted away a Jokic layup in the final seconds, capping the win.
Now, it all comes down to Game 7.
