The Nuggets pulled off a thrilling comeback in Game 4 against the Clippers, winning 101-99 on a last-second layup. The series is now tied at 2-2. The two teams will now travel to Denver for another battle. This game once again proved that the matchup between the fourth and fifth seeded teams in the West is the most entertaining in this year’s playoffs.
Although the Clippers seemed to have the momentum with a 34-16 run in the final quarter, they couldn’t have the last laugh. The Nuggets showed resilience and perseverance, which is truly admirable. On the other hand, the Thunder have already swept the Grizzlies 4-0 to advance to the Western Conference semifinals. The Thunder can now sit back and wait for the winner of the Clippers and Nuggets. With the current momentum between the two teams, this series will likely go seven games to the bitter end.
Tonight’s game was full of gunpowder, and there was even a major altercation on the court. The Clippers and Nuggets had a total of six players called for technical fouls, namely Harden, Powell, Dunn, Jokic, Gordon and Braun. Since both teams had the same number of players, the technical fouls canceled each other out and the game continued. First it was Harden and Braun who got into an argument, then Gordon and Jokic joined in, and the scene was chaotic for a while.
In fact, it’s not uncommon for a little conflict to occur during a heated game. To say which game is the most intense in this year’s playoffs, this Clippers vs. Nuggets game can certainly be ranked by the number. The Nuggets once led the Clippers by more than twenty points, but were caught by a wave of the Clippers, which almost dragged the game into overtime. At the most critical moment, Gordon grabbed the offensive rebound, completed the dunk, killed the game, and gave the Nuggets the win.
Interestingly, Gordon said in an interview yesterday that he was not in good health and could hardly jump, but today he was able to make such a dunk at the most critical moment, which is really admirable. The referee was also very cautious, replaying the video several times, checking it frame by frame, and finally ruling that the goal was valid. This moment completely ignited the passion of the fans in the arena.
How do you describe the shock of Gordon’s goal? It can be said that even for those who have watched the NBA for many years, this kind of killing scene is very difficult to see. The combination of the referee’s seriousness in making the final call and Gordon’s superb maneuvering with his injury made this moment a true classic.
To use an analogy, it’s like someone suddenly puts a gun to your head and pulls the trigger without warning, there’s no time to react and you’re hit instantly. After the game, a longtime Clippers reporter lamented, “I’ve been watching the Clippers for so many years, and I’ve never seen a more tragic ending than this one. He was indeed right. The Clippers have had plenty of heartbreaking games over the years, such as Ayton’s dunk in the 2021 Western Conference Finals. But when it comes to shock value, Gordon’s dunk today was even more violent than that one.
When it comes to difficulty and impact of the dunk, Gordon should get high marks for the layup if you’re just making the shot. Of course, you can’t ignore the other hero of the game, and that’s Jokic. He was so good today that he put a lot of psychological pressure on the Clippers. At that point, everyone’s eyes were on Jokic, and as a result, they ignored Gordon, who was cutting to the basket. The Clippers’ defensive attention was all on Jokic, which makes sense, because Jokic’s performance today is really too strong.
Just before the kill, Jokic hit a key mid-range jumper to put the Nuggets ahead for good. For the game, Jokic played 43 minutes, hitting 14 of 25 shots and 3 of 6 from three-point range for 36 points, 21 rebounds and 8 assists. His performance in the first four games of this year’s playoffs has been flawless, to say the least.
But what’s also a little concerning is that the Nuggets management doesn’t seem to be doing a very good job with their rotations, allowing Jokic to play too much on the court. In the long run, this could affect the later games.
