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Clippers vs Nuggets Game 3 Preview: Playoff Intuit At Last
The Clippers go back to Los Angeles with the series tied at 1-1 heading into the all-important Game 3.
Game
Information
Where: Intuit Dome, Inglewood, California
When: 7:00 PM PT
How to Watch: NBA TV, FanDuel Sports SoCal, AM 570
Projected
Starting Lineups
Nuggets: Jamal Murray – Christian Braun – Michael Porter Jr. – Aaron Gordon – Nikola Jokic
Clippers: James Harden – Norm Powell – Kris Dunn – Kawhi Leonard – Ivica Zubac
Injuries
Nuggets: Da’Ron Holmes Out (Achilles), Michael Porter Jr. Probable (Shoulder)
Clippers: None
Notes
Intuit’s First Playoff Game: This will be the inaugural playoff debut of Intuit Dome, and I could not be more excited even though I won’t be present. The Clippers have been excellent at home, going 30-7 at Intuit after an 0-4 start in Inglewood, and I think the place will be jumping from the get-go. Home crowds can have even more of an impact in the playoffs, so hopefully Intuit gets crazy for Clippers’ runs and keeps encouraging them during down stretches. Can’t wait for it.
Getting Something from Bogi: The Clippers can probably win this series without a big Bogi game, but boy even anything positive from him would help. Bogdan has not hit a shot so far in this series, and has more fouls and turnovers than assists or rebounds. If he can give the Clippers even 5-7 points in Game 3 without many turnovers or bad fouls, it will be a huge improvement and will go a long way towards the Clippers winning. If he’s dreadful again in Game 3, there might have to be real conversations on Ty Lue going elsewhere, whether that be cutting the rotation to eight guys or re-inserting Amir Coffey into the thick of things. I don’t think that will happen, and fingers crossed Bogi is just a lot better in this one, but the pressure is on.
Keep The Defense Locked In: The Clippers’ defense has been great all year, so this plea almost certainly doesn’t need to be made, but the Clippers can’t relax on defense even one iota against Nikola Jokic. They have defended Jokic and his two-man game with Jamal Murray brilliantly so far, and I wouldn’t switch up the approach until the Nuggets prove they can consistently beat it. The Kris Dunn-Ivica Zubac duo has done their best, with help swarming Jokic once he gets into the paint, and I’d keep that pressure up to force everyone else on the Nuggets to make open shots and make plays for others. If we see another 48 minutes of sound, high-intensity defense in this one, regardless of the result, I’ll be a relatively happy man.
Attack Jokic: Jokic has been pretty good on defense so far, but he’s doing everything on offense and playing a ton of minutes, so the Clippers need to keep making him work and move on defense. The more the Clippers can tire him out and wear him down, the better. Jokic could be attacked by Zu directly, by Harden-Zu pick and rolls, and even by direct drives by the Clippers’ slashers like Norm Powell and Derrick Jones Jr – a medley of all of those would be ideal. The Clippers can’t let Jokic just sit in the paint and relax on defense, and I want to see them do an even better job of involving him in actions and forcing him to put forth effort on that end of the court.
Clippers vs Nuggets Game 3 Preview: Playoff Intuit At Last
Robert Flom