INGLEWOOD, Calif. \u2014 They came prepared for playoff basketball, equipped with horse heads to distract Nikola Jokic at the foul line. The Nuggets\u2019 Game 3 looked more like a horse\u2019s behind.<\/p>\n
Denver is down 2-1 to the Clippers and trending toward first-round elimination after getting blown out 117-83 on Thursday in the first-ever playoff game at Intuit Dome.<\/p>\n
James Harden was phenomenal for Los Angeles again, amassing 20 points by halftime, six rebounds and nine assists. Norman Powell and Kawhi Leonard each eclipsed 20 as well. The Clippers made 18 of 39 shots outside the arc.<\/p>\n
The Nuggets burned fast and bright. They made shots from the field on their first eight possessions \u2014 20 points in five minutes, with six assists and a balanced spread of scorers. It was enough to believe they had finally opened up the series after two rough-and-tumble showdowns in Denver.<\/p>\n
That turned out to be five minutes of fool\u2019s gold. As soon as interim coach David Adelman started making substitutions, the game went sideways. The Clippers continued to show Jokic a crowd and invite Denver\u2019s role players to beat them. Russell Westbrook was up for the task the first two games, but he and the rest of the bench that Adelman inherited two weeks ago struggled to produce on the road.<\/p>\n
After Jokic\u2019s seventh assist in the first nine minutes, Denver led 26-19. Then every form of offense around him rapidly went stale, while the defense played its greatest hits from an unsavory season. Slow rotations. Useless fly-by contests at shot fakes. Miscommunications. Shaky screen navigation. The Clippers went on an extended 16-0 and 23-2 run between the end of the first quarter and the start of the second.<\/p>\n
They took the series\u2019 largest lead for either team before halftime and kept stretching it. The worst it got for Denver was 34.<\/p>\n
Jokic finished with 23 points, 13 boards and 13 assists. Jamal Murray managed to get to an efficient 23 points. But the Nuggets\u2019 other three starters went a combined 12 for 34 from the field, and their bench was outscored 24-5 before garbage time.<\/p>\n
Westbrook didn\u2019t play after halftime due to left foot inflammation. Julian Strawther and DeAndre Jordan had their turns in the rotation as Adelman desperately pushed various buttons in search of a comeback. Nothing could even muster a run.<\/p>\n
Porter played with padding on his left shoulder after suffering a joint sprain late in Game 2. He was a minus-25 in 35 minutes, second-worst on the team to Peyton Watson.<\/p>\n
![\"James](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/TDP-Z-Nuggets-Clippers-GETTY-03.jpg\")
James Harden (1) of the Los Angeles Clippers shoots the ball against Michael Porter Jr. (1) of the Denver Nuggets during the first quarter in Game Three of the Western Conference First Round NBA Playoffs at Intuit Dome on April 24, 2025 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen they bring a third person over, a fourth person over, when Jamal and Nikola are playing two-man game, we have to find good shots on the back side of that,\u201d Adelman said before the game. \u201cAnd I\u2019ve been saying this for two weeks, but trust the open man. If we can find wide open 3s when they\u2019re going to bring all these people, all this attention to our best players, I\u2019ll live with that. That\u2019s how the game is.\u201d<\/p>\n
On the other side of the Clippers\u2019 scorching 3-point shooting night, Denver went 7 for 26 while also getting crushed on the offensive glass and in transition.<\/p>\n
The horse heads were an accessory left in every seat along The Wall, a fan section behind one baseline meant to resemble a high school or college student section. Heckling didn\u2019t do much to affect Jokic. It worked by proxy on his teammates.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat could be a motivational factor, actually,\u201d Adelman joked before opening tip. \u201cHopefully not to go home.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Nuggets are two losses from that reality now.<\/p>\n