DENVER (AP) \u2014 Not this time.<\/p>\n
Nikola Jokic got plenty of help from his teammates and Denver\u2019s scoring surge held up in a 120-101 blowout of the shellshocked Los Angeles Clippers in a Game 7 laugher on Saturday night.<\/p>\n
The Nuggets led by as many as 35 and while the franchise\u2019s biggest blowout in a win-or-go-home scenario won\u2019t make up for last year when Denver blew a 20-point fourth-quarter lead over Minnesota at home in Game 7 of their Round 2 series, it certainly exorcised some of those demons.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt feels good,\u201d interim Nuggets coach David Adelman said, \u201cbut I also know we\u2019re flying to O-K-C tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n
The No. 4 seed Nuggets advanced to take on the No. 1 seeded and well-rested Oklahoma City Thunder, which swept Memphis in the first round and has had a week off heading into the second-round series that begins Monday night.<\/p>\n
When Adelman reminded a friend recently that the reward for surviving this gritty series with the Clippers was a date with the team that went an NBA-best 68-14, his buddy retored that what actually awaited the winner was a 72-14 team.<\/p>\n
\u201cOK, that\u2019s right,\u201d Adelman replied. \u201cAppreciate that, bro.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Nuggets and Thunder split their season series 2-2 and if Denver can reproduce its effort from Saturday night, the next series could be a tight one, too.<\/p>\n
Jokic had 16 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists in 33 minutes but for a change he was overshadowed by his teammates. Aaron Gordon led Denver with 22 points, Christian Braun had 21, Jamal Murray and Russell Westbrook chipped in 16 each and Michael Porter Jr. scored 15.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn playoffs we know that everybody needs to step up, offensively, defensively, whatever, energy-wise. And everybody who plays needs to contribute something,\u201d Jokic said. \u201cIt was special today the guys did that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Braun also played terrific defense on James Harden, who was held to 7 points on 2-of-8 shooting. <\/p>\n
\u201cEverybody behind me allowed me to guard him. But I think maybe the biggest part was Russ,\u201d Braun said. \u201cHe\u2019s played against James, he\u2019s played with James, so he knows his game. … The coaches trusted me tonight. We didn\u2019t want to switch. They kept me on him all night. So, credit goes to those guys and the coaches.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kawhi Leonard led Los Angeles with 22 points and Ivica Zubac had his quietest game of the series with 10 points.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think this team was 30 points better than us,\u201d Leonard said. \u201cWe saw that throughout the first six games of this series, but you\u2019ve got to give them credit. They came out, ran hard in transition, got easy points and they made shots.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hanging over the Nuggets all season, one that included the firings of their head coach and their general manaer, was their Game 7 fiasco in Round 2 last year just when it looked like they were primed to defend the franchise\u2019s first NBA championship.<\/p>\n
And after frittering away a 22-point fourth-quarter advantage in Game 4 of this series \u2014 only to be saved by the first buzzer-beating dunk in NBA playoff history<\/a>, courtesy of Gordon \u2014 the Nuggets and Ball Arena crowd only grew more energized instead of anxious as the lead kept growing and the Clippers kept missing.<\/p>\n The Nuggets outscored LA 72-40 over the second and third quarters and blew this one open with a 17-0 run in the third quarter after Leonard started the second half with a 3-pointer to cut LA\u2019s deficit to 58-50.<\/p>\n \u201cThe rebounding and defense was amazing,\u201d Jokic said. \u201cWe had a lot of opportunities to run and a lot of guys stepped up and a lot of guys made baskets.\u201d<\/p>\n After picking up his third, fourth and fifth fouls over a 48-second span late in the third, Jokic went to the bench. The Nuggets began celebrating early in the fourth quarter when Westbrook willingly took a technical for swinging on the rim after a steal and breakaway dunk put Denver up 107-76.<\/p>\n Courtesy of team owner Steve Ballmer<\/a>, more than 100 Clippers fans were flown to Denver<\/a> and assembled behind one of the baskets to provide extra noise. They were rowdy when the Clippers took a 26-21 lead after one quarter but were as bewildered as the Los Angeles bench as the Nuggets ran away with it.<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n