Nikola Jokic scored 29 points and Aaron Gordon added 25, including a few free throws to go with 12 seconds, and the Denver Nuggets Braulden back from a 15-point first half of the shortage to go along the Los Angeles Clippers 112-110 in the course of their Western Playoff series.
Jamal Murray added 21 points, nine boards and seven assists for the fourth placed Nuggets, which improved to 4-0 under interim coach David Adelman, the replacement of Michael Malone.
The loss of the No. 5 Seed clippers was their first since March 30 in Cleveland. They rolled in the play -offs after they won 18 of 21, including their last eight, and they jumped out to an early lead that led until the last minute of the regulations.
Game 2 is on Monday evening in Ball Arena.
Russell Westbrook came big at the end of that lead
Jokic was done with the subsequent incoming games and his two free throws made it 112-107 for the Buzzer 3-Pointer of Norman Powell.
The game was bound at 98 at the end of the regulations.
After the 3-Pointer of Westbrook from the left corner, Harden replied with Flora to bind it and the nuggets could not get rid of a shot in the last 18 seconds.
In the course of time the gold clogs have never trained.
Jokic had 12 assists and finished a 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 each other in the play-offs in 2020 at Walt Disney World in the Pandemic Bubbel, when the Nuggets conquered 3-1 deficit to beat the clippers.
Reporting by the Associated Press.
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