Nikola Jokic scored 29 points and Aaron Gordon added 25, including a pair of free throws with 12 seconds left, and the Denver Nuggets roared back from a 15-point first-half deficit to power past the Los Angeles Clippers 112-110 in overtime Saturday in the opener of their Western Conference playoff series.
Jamal Murray added 21 points, nine boards and seven assists for the fourth-seeded Nuggets, who improved to 4-0 under interim coach David Adelman, Michael Malone’s replacement.
The No. 5 seed Clippers’ loss was their first since March 30 at Cleveland. They rolled into the playoffs having won 18 of 21, including their last eight, and they jumped out to an early lead that held until the final minutes of regulation.
Game 2 is Monday night at Ball Arena.
Russell Westbrook came up big at the end of both regulation — with an uncontested corner 3 for a 98-96 Denver lead — and again in overtime when he knocked the inbounds pass away from — and off of — James Harden with 9.6 seconds left and Denver clinging to a 3-point lead.
Jokic was fouled on the ensuing inbounds play and his two free throws made it 112-107 before Norman Powell’s buzzer 3-pointer.
The game was tied at 98 at the end of regulation.
After Westbrook’s 3-pointer from the left corner, Harden responded with a floater to tie it and the Nuggets couldn’t get off a shot in the final 18 seconds.
In overtime, the Nuggets never trailed.
Jokic had 12 assists and finished one rebound shy of a triple-double. Harden led the Clippers with 32 points. Kawhi Leonard added 27 and Ivica Zubac had 21.
These teams last met in the playoffs in 2020 at Walt Disney World in the pandemic bubble, when the Nuggets overcame a 3-1 deficit to beat the Clippers.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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