After falling to the LA Clippers in Monday night’s Game 2, the Denver Nuggets have many issues to tackle as the series shifts to Thursday night’s Game 3.
Michael Porter Jr. has an ailing shoulder that may limit him in Game 3 or keep him shelved entirely. The Nuggets have a big Kawhi Leonard problem, as the Clippers star turned in a brilliant Game 2 with 39 points on 19 shots. Denver has to find a way to truly unlock Nikola Jokić, who has been bothered by LA’s pressure defense and doubling scheme. The Nuggets and the Clippers have beaten each other up over two games, meaning Denver will have to find a way to win a war of attrition.
It isn’t unexpected that the teams split the first two games, negating Denver’s home-court advantage. And it wouldn’t be shocking to see the Nuggets go west and return the favor. But the Nuggets know they need to return the favor, and they know that’s going to be a difficult endeavor. The Clippers have proven to be talented, resilient, forceful and physical in this series, which is not a surprise since they entered the postseason as one of the hottest teams in the league.
The Nuggets will need to adjust, play better and play a cleaner brand of basketball if they want to shift the series back in their favor on Thursday night. They know that turning the ball over 20 times won’t cut it. What else can they do in terms of adjustments?
Defending Kawhi
Two games into the series, it’s obvious Leonard is at or close to peak form, after spending years trying to get his body right for such a moment. He was simply sublime in Monday night’s Game 2. The shotmaking. The creation off the dribble. The defense. It was like he took a time machine back to his 2018 self.
Now that Denver has seen this version of Leonard, the challenge is not to allow him to take over the series. He’s capable of that. The Nuggets weren’t exactly vanilla defensively in Game 2 against Leonard. But, they didn’t exactly sell out defensively on him either. They might have to do some of that in Games 3 and 4.
The biggest thing is doubling all of his ball screens and getting the ball out of his hands. The Nuggets did some of that in Games 1 and 2, but they might have to be more pronounced at it. It will probably be important to commit one of Aaron Gordon or Peyton Watson as Leonard’s primary defender for most of Game 3. Those are the two Nuggets players who have the length to contest Leonard’s high release point. Gordon also has the strength to at least fight Leonard’s ability to get to his spot.
Denver did way too little of that on Monday night. Leonard got to where he wanted to go, whenever he wanted. The Nuggets have to win some of those battles, which come before Leonard raises to shoot the basketball. Most importantly, Denver has to find a way to keep Leonard from seeing a big basket. He got going very early in Game 2, scoring 12 points before the first quarter was over. From there, he was cooking, and the Nuggets were cooked in their ability to guard him.
Denver’s not going to completely shut his water off. But the Nuggets also can’t allow him to be the best player on the floor.
Speaking of the best player on the floor…
This is the Nuggets’ simplest equation: Jokić takes over the series and shows why he’s universally regarded as the best player in the world. Jokić has been good in the first two games. But, in aggregate, he hasn’t been the best player in this series, and in a series that’s proven to be this close, he will need to be going forward for the Nuggets to win this series.
Jokić turned in a triple-double in Game 2 — but that triple-double was almost a quadriple-double since he had seven turnovers, several of them bad ones. That’s not going to cut it against a team as good as LA.
But this is what wearing the best-player-in-the-world crown means. This is what comes with all of the MVPs. Jokić will be expected to meet the level Leonard set in Game 2. Jokić doesn’t have to go out and drop 40 or 50 points. For Denver to survive, Jokić needs to be the best player in the series.
Everybody needs a little help
The best way to help alleviate some of the double and triple teams that Jokić is absorbing is to get more shooting on the floor. Denver interim coach David Adelman said Wednesday that he’s confident Porter will be available Thursday. But even if he is, a sore shoulder isn’t the best harbinger of a big night shooting the basketball.
So, if you are Adelman, maybe it is time to give Julian Strawther a chance to contribute. The biggest issue for the Nuggets is that when Jokić passes out of doubles, he’s passing it to non-shooters who are incapable of making the Clippers pay for sagging off and leaving them open. Strawther is a good shooter. It remains to be seen whether he can be a playoff shooter, but he’s a regular-season shooter.
The concerns with putting him on the floor — he’s not a good defender — are real. If he’s on the floor for small doses and makes a shot or two, everything in this series matters. This series will be won on the margins, so it may not hurt to throw Strawther at the wall and see if he sticks.
Even more Russ
Through two games, Russell Westbrook has had a major impact on the series. He made shots that went a long way toward helping the Nuggets win Game 1. He was similarly good in Game 2. I think the Nuggets need him on the floor for more minutes.
This is a nasty, grimy series that needs Westbrook’s ability to get in the mud and make plays. Yes, the Nuggets need spacing, and Westbrook doesn’t provide that. Yes, the Clippers are daring Westbrook to beat them from the perimeter. But at least he’s made some important shots. More importantly, with Kris Dunn attaching himself to Jamal Murray, Westbrook can handle the ball with Murray on the floor and Denver can run Murray off screens.
It’s risky to give Westbrook more minutes, because he will play the game his way. That’s not going to change, and his way will inevitably lead to plays that are destructive to the Nuggets. It’s a risk worth taking that Westbrook makes more winning plays against a Clippers team he badly wants to beat.
Backing Adelman’s confidence
Through the last two days, Adelman has been confident that his team can go into Intuit Dome and come out with a win,. To win the series, the Nuggets will have to do that at some point. It’s one thing to talk about it. It’s another to go on the road and play with the confidence to win a game in the postseason. The Nuggets know they have Jokić. They know they were a few plays from winning Game 2. They also know they were a few plays from losing Game 1.
The key for Denver is playing a smart and confident Game 3. The Nuggets know they have to defend well, shoot the ball well, and limit turnovers. It’s a tall task, because this Clippers team is good. But the Nuggets have been a resilient bunch all season. Thursday night represents one more hurdle.
Sign up to get The Bounce, the essential NBA newsletter from Zach Harper and The Athletic staff, delivered free to your inbox.
(Photo of Nikola Jokić: Isaiah J. Downing / Imagn Images)
