Nuggets’ Bold Moves Pay Off in Dramatic Game 7 Victory

Nuggets’ Bold Moves Pay Off in Dramatic Game 7 Victory

DENVER — In a move that sent shockwaves through the NBA community, the Denver Nuggets made a bold decision to fire coach Michael Malone and general manager Calvin Booth with just three games left in the regular season. This drastic change came after a disheartening four-game losing streak that threatened to derail their playoff hopes. The decision was a clear signal from the organization that they were seeking a fresh start and a new direction.

Star player Nikola Jokic didn’t mince words when discussing the situation, acknowledging that the team needed a change. “If we don’t make the changes, there’s no way we’re even in a Game 7,” a Nuggets executive told ESPN. The urgency was palpable, and the stakes were high as the Nuggets faced the possibility of an early postseason exit, potentially squandering a season of Jokic’s prime.

Fast forward to Saturday night, and the Nuggets were back to their championship-winning form from two years ago. They delivered a commanding 120-101 win over the LA Clippers in Game 7 of their Western Conference first-round playoff series. Jokic reflected on the decision, saying, “I think the owner … wanted to change something, to change the energy, and probably he did. He got the result he was looking for.”

The fourth-seeded Nuggets were nothing short of spectacular in Game 7, leading the Clippers by as many as 35 points. This series was the most competitive of the first round, with the Clippers entering as the hottest team in the league, having won 18 of their final 21 regular-season games. With Kawhi Leonard and James Harden in peak form, each superstar left a significant mark on the series.

However, it was Denver’s supporting cast that made the difference in Game 7. Christian Braun, known for his defensive prowess against Harden, stepped up offensively, scoring nine of the team’s 21 points in the first quarter. Reflecting on last year’s missed opportunity, Braun said, “Last year, obviously the team had a missed opportunity, but I felt like we should have won. Obviously, they were a better team that night. But I just felt like there was opportunity left on the table, and I felt like I wanted to be a part of it.”

Another standout performance came from Aaron Gordon, who led all scorers with 22 points. His second-quarter performance, including a jaw-dropping reverse, two-handed dunk, electrified the crowd and seemed to crush the Clippers’ spirit. Nuggets sixth man Russell Westbrook also shone, scoring 10 of his 16 points in the decisive second quarter and hitting two crucial 3-pointers, pushing his series average for 3-point shooting to 42%—the best in any playoff series of his career.

• Westbrook’s 3-point shooting was a revelation, especially since the Clippers dared him to shoot by giving him an average separation of 9.1 feet on his attempts, the second-most since player tracking began in 2014.
• Despite a below-average performance from Jokic, who was plagued by fouls and scored only 16 points, the Nuggets’ balanced attack was reminiscent of their 2023 championship run.

Interim coach David Adelman drew parallels to their past success, saying, “I thought it reminded me of the year we won it. There’s a lot of humble confidence in there. You have to go into these games with great respect for who’s across the hall here, what those guys are capable of doing. But you also can’t go into the game not thinking that, ‘Yeah, we can get this done.’ We’ve done this, we’ve seen this, we’ve been through this before and we’ve succeeded.”

With little time to savor their victory, the Nuggets now face the top-seeded Oklahoma City in the second round, starting Monday night. “This was a memorable series,” Adelman said. “We just don’t really have time to remember it. … because we fly to OKC tomorrow.”