The Los Angeles Clippers’ season concluded with a disappointing 120-101 Game 7 loss to the Denver Nuggets. Despite entering the postseason on a strong run, winning 18 of their last 21 regular-season games, and forcing a Game 7 with a dominant performance, the Clippers were unable to sustain that momentum. In the decisive game, James Harden struggled significantly, providing limited support to Kawhi Leonard, which ultimately contributed to the Clippers’ frustrating first-round exit.
Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue acknowledged the challenges the team faced, particularly regarding Kawhi Leonard’s availability during the regular season. “It’s encouraging,” Lue said following the season-ending loss.
Los Angeles Clippers HC On Kawhi Leonard’s Injury
“I think James [Harden] having to carry such a heavy load with Kawhi missing 45 games and just having to carry that load all season long, he did a great job with that. And I think Kawhi, coming back and having the confidence in his knee that he can play more minutes, he can get through these games. And those two together for a whole season, I think, would be tremendous.”
Lue added, “So when you have your best player missing (45 games), it’s kind of hard to really jell the way we wanted to. But I thought we did a good job of just sticking with it. And whatever we needed to do to win that night, they did it.”
However, in Game 7, the early back-and-forth action quickly shifted in Denver’s favor. After a closely contested first quarter, in which Leonard led the Clippers with 22 points (helping them take a narrow 26-21 edge), the Nuggets seized control with a dominant 37-point second quarter. Denver continued its momentum after halftime, going on a 15-0 run in the third quarter to extend their lead to 75-50.
Denver’s dominance continued throughout the game. The Nuggets entered the fourth quarter with a commanding 93-66 lead, and even when Nikola Jokic was forced to the bench after picking up his third, fourth, and fifth fouls late in the third, the Clippers were unable to mount a significant comeback. Denver ultimately built a lead as large as 35 points, outscoring the Clippers in the paint (54-42) and on the boards (46-36). The Nuggets also capitalized on second-chance opportunities, outscoring the Clippers 22-10 in that category. James Harden, in contrast, finished with just seven points on 2-of-8 shooting.
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The Clippers’ season concludes with a disappointing first-round exit in their first year at Intuit Dome, highlighting the challenges the franchise faces moving forward. With James Harden and Kawhi Leonard as their primary options, both of whom are past their peak, the Clippers’ window for championship contention appears to be rapidly closing. The franchise now faces the difficult task of balancing short-term competitiveness with long-term strategic decisions, which for the moment means continuing to build around Harden and Leonard.
Meanwhile, the Denver Nuggets advanced despite a tumultuous end to their regular season, which saw David Adelman take over as interim head coach after the team dismissed Michael Malone with only three games remaining.