Game ID: 42400172
LA Clippers @ Denver Nuggets
Monday, April 21, 2025 at 10:00 PM ET
Ball Arena, Denver, CO
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
DEN 31 21 24 26 102LAC 25 30 23 27 105
DEN vs LAC ScoutingDEN vs LAC Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
DEN availability going into 4/09 · 2 days' restOUT Murray missed 5 since 3/28, out tonight
OUT Šarić missed 2 since 4/04, out tonight
BACK Porter Jr. back 4/04 after 2, 40 min since (119% of 33)
BACK Strawther back 4/04 after 16, 6 min since (29% of 20)
NEW Watson 23 to 32 min over the last 4
NEW Pickett 13 to 27 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 4/11 · 1 day's restOUT Murray missed 6 since 3/28, returns tonight: 32 min (85% of 37)
OUT Šarić missed 3 since 4/04, out tonight
OUT Nnaji missed 2 since 4/06, out tonight
BACK Porter Jr. back 4/04 after 2, 38 min since (115% of 33)
BACK Strawther back 4/04 after 16, 8 min since (38% of 20)
NEW Braun 35 to 42 min over the last 4
NEW Gordon 30 to 37 min over the last 4
NEW Watson 23 to 31 min over the last 4
NEW Pickett 13 to 29 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 4/13 · 1 day's restOUT Šarić missed 4 since 4/04, out tonight
OUT Nnaji missed 3 since 4/06, returns tonight: 6 min (63% of 10)
BACK Murray back 4/11 after 6, 32 min since (85% of 37)
BACK Porter Jr. back 4/04 after 2, 36 min since (108% of 33)
BACK Strawther back 4/04 after 16, 8 min since (38% of 20)
NEW Gordon 30 to 36 min over the last 4
NEW Pickett 13 to 25 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 4/19 · 5 days' restOUT Šarić missed 5 since 4/04, out tonight
BACK Murray back 4/11 after 6, 28 min since (76% of 37)
BACK Porter Jr. back 4/04 after 2, 35 min since (104% of 33)
BACK Strawther back 4/04 after 16, 8 min since (41% of 20)
BACK Nnaji back 4/13 after 3, 6 min since (63% of 10)
NEW Pickett 13 to 22 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 4/21 · 1 day's restOUT Šarić missed 6 since 4/04, out tonight
BACK Murray back 4/11 after 6, 35 min since (94% of 37)
BACK Nnaji back 4/13 after 3, 6 min since (63% of 10)
NEW Gordon 30 to 36 min over the last 5
NEW Pickett 13 to 18 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 4/24 · 2 days' restOUT Strawther missed 2 since 4/19, returns tonight: 11 min (55% of 20)
OUT Šarić missed 7 since 4/04, out tonight
OUT Nnaji missed 2 since 4/19, returns tonight: 5 min (45% of 10)
BACK Murray back 4/11 after 6, 37 min since (99% of 37)
NEW Gordon 30 to 37 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 4/26 · 1 day's restOUT Šarić missed 8 since 4/04, out tonight
BACK Murray back 4/11 after 6, 37 min since (99% of 37)
BACK Strawther back 4/24 after 2, 11 min since (55% of 20)
BACK Nnaji back 4/13 after 3, 6 min since (54% of 10)
NEW Gordon 30 to 37 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 4/29 · 2 days' restOUT Šarić missed 9 since 4/04, out tonight
BACK Strawther back 4/24 after 2, 11 min since (55% of 20)
BACK Nnaji back 4/13 after 3, 6 min since (54% of 10)
NEW Gordon 30 to 37 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 5/01 · 1 day's restOUT Šarić missed 10 since 4/04, out tonight
BACK Strawther back 4/24 after 2, 6 min since (32% of 20)
BACK Nnaji back 4/24 after 2, 3 min since (32% of 10)
NEW Gordon 30 to 39 min over the last 5
LAC availability going into 4/09 · back-to-backOUT Coffey missed 5 since 3/31, out tonight
BACK Miller back 4/05 after 11, 4 min since (37% of 11)
LAC availability going into 4/11 · 1 day's restOUT Coffey missed 6 since 3/31, out tonight
BACK Miller back 4/05 after 11, 3 min since (28% of 11)
LAC availability going into 4/13 · 1 day's restOUT Coffey missed 7 since 3/31, returns tonight: 4 min (16% of 24)
BACK Miller back 4/05 after 11, 3 min since (28% of 11)
LAC availability going into 4/19 · 5 days' restOUT Batum missed 2 since 4/11, returns tonight: 24 min (132% of 18)
OUT Miller missed 2 since 4/11, out tonight
BACK Coffey back 4/13 after 7, 4 min since (16% of 24)
NEW Leonard 33 to 38 min over the last 4
LAC availability going into 4/21 · 1 day's restOUT Miller missed 3 since 4/11, out tonight
BACK Coffey back 4/13 after 7, 4 min since (16% of 24)
BACK Batum back 4/19 after 2, 24 min since (132% of 18)
NEW Harden 36 to 42 min over the last 5
NEW Zubac 33 to 38 min over the last 5
NEW Leonard 33 to 42 min over the last 4
NEW Powell 33 to 40 min over the last 4
NEW Dunn 24 to 29 min over the last 5
LAC availability going into 4/24 · 2 days' restOUT Coffey missed 2 since 4/19, out tonight
OUT Miller missed 4 since 4/11, returns tonight: 4 min (34% of 11)
BACK Batum back 4/19 after 2, 21 min since (116% of 18)
NEW Harden 36 to 42 min over the last 5
NEW Zubac 33 to 39 min over the last 5
NEW Leonard 33 to 42 min over the last 5
NEW Dunn 24 to 30 min over the last 5
LAC availability going into 4/26 · 1 day's restOUT Coffey missed 3 since 4/19, out tonight
BACK Batum back 4/19 after 2, 23 min since (126% of 18)
BACK Miller back 4/24 after 4, 4 min since (34% of 11)
NEW Harden 36 to 41 min over the last 5
NEW Zubac 33 to 38 min over the last 5
NEW Leonard 33 to 41 min over the last 5
LAC availability going into 4/29 · 2 days' restOUT Coffey missed 4 since 4/19, out tonight
BACK Batum back 4/19 after 2, 22 min since (121% of 18)
BACK Miller back 4/24 after 4, 4 min since (34% of 11)
NEW Harden 36 to 41 min over the last 5
NEW Zubac 33 to 39 min over the last 5
NEW Leonard 33 to 40 min over the last 5
LAC availability going into 5/01 · 1 day's restOUT Coffey missed 5 since 4/19, out tonight
BACK Batum back 4/19 after 2, 22 min since (121% of 18)
BACK Miller back 4/24 after 4, 3 min since (29% of 11)
NEW Zubac 33 to 38 min over the last 5
NEW Leonard 33 to 38 min over the last 5
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Denver comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 114, shooting 49 percent and 31 from three, 28 free throws a game; Jokić at 27 and Gordon at 20 a game. That is 4 straight wins. It has won the glass by 5 a night. One day's rest. The Clippers come in 4-1 over their last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 113, shooting 52 percent and 44 from three, 17 free throws a game; Harden at 30 and Leonard at 26 a game. They have won the glass by 7 a night. One day's rest.
So: Denver wins, and the game turns on the arc, the Clippers at 44 percent from three to Denver's 31 and the line, where Denver takes 28 free throws a game to the Clippers' 17. Call it Denver 117, the Clippers 114, the Clippers keeping it close.
4/09 @ SAC 124-116 — DEN notes
DEN won 124-116. DEN shot 50% (43 of 86) to SAC's 47%, 13 of 34 from three, and went to the line 31 times to SAC's 17 — 25 points from the stripe to their 14. Braun led with 25 (9 of 12, 3 of 5 from three); Gordon added 21, Porter Jr. 21. The hinge was Q1, 33-25: from level to 8 ahead, and the lead reached 16. Braun was the night's best plus/minus at +20.
4/11 vs MEM 117-109 — DEN notes
DEN won 117-109. DEN shot 48% (44 of 91) to MEM's 45%, 5 of 24 from three, and went to the line 31 times to MEM's 19 — 24 points from the stripe to their 13. The glass went 52-41 for them. Gordon led with 33 (13 of 23, 2 of 7 from three, 5 of 6 at the line); Jokić added 26, Murray 15. The hinge was Q4, 25-14: DEN came in trailing by 3 and left it ahead by 8. DEN trailed 53-59 at the half and won the second half 64-50. Braun was the night's best plus/minus at +12.
4/13 @ HOU 126-111 — DEN notes
DEN won 126-111. DEN shot 51% (45 of 88) to HOU's 45%, 10 of 29 from three, and went to the line 31 times to HOU's 14 — 26 points from the stripe to their 9. Porter Jr. led with 19 (8 of 12, 3 of 6 from three); Jokić added 18, Gordon 18. The hinge was Q3, 37-19: a lead of 13 became 31, and the lead reached 36. Jokić was the night's best plus/minus at +34.
4/19 vs LAC 112-110 — DEN notes
DEN won 112-110 in 1 overtime. DEN shot 44% (41 of 94) to LAC's 50%, 9 of 27 from three, and went to the line 27 times to LAC's 16 — 21 points from the stripe to their 12. DEN turned it over 11 times to LAC's 20. Jokić led with 29 (12 of 24, 1 of 4 from three, 4 of 6 at the line); Gordon added 25, Murray 21. The hinge was Q2, 22-18: the deficit went from 8 to 4. DEN trailed 49-53 at the half and won the second half 63-57. Murray was the night's best plus/minus at +12.
4/21 vs LAC 102-105 — DEN notes
DEN lost 102-105. DEN shot 47% (37 of 79) to LAC's 48%, 14 of 32 from three, and went to the line 22 times to LAC's 12 — 14 points from the stripe to their 10. DEN turned it over 20 times to LAC's 11, and LAC turned those into 13 steals. The glass went 50-32 for them. Jokić led with 26 (8 of 16, 4 of 8 from three, 6 of 10 at the line); Murray added 23, Porter Jr. 15. Q1 was theirs, 31-25, but the other 3 periods went 80-71 against them. Westbrook's -7 in 23 minutes was the worst on the floor.
4/24 @ LAC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Clippers come in 4-1 over their last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 110, shooting 52 percent and 42 from three, 17 free throws a game; Harden at 29 and Leonard at 29 a game. Without Coffey (2 straight). 2 days' rest. Denver comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 110, shooting 48 percent and 35 from three, 28 free throws a game; Jokić at 24 and Gordon at 22 a game. It has won the glass by 7 a night. Without Strawther (2 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: The Clippers win, and the game turns on the line, where Denver takes 28 free throws a game to the Clippers' 17 and the glass, where Denver has been plus-7 a night and the Clippers minus-0. Call it the Clippers 115, Denver 112, Denver keeping it close.
4/26 @ LAC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Clippers come in 4-1 over their last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 103, shooting 51 percent and 41 from three, 18 free throws a game; Leonard at 29 and Harden at 26 a game. Without Coffey (3 straight). One day's rest. Denver comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 110, shooting 46 percent and 33 from three, 26 free throws a game; Jokić at 24 and Gordon at 21 a game. It has won the glass by 4 a night. One day's rest.
So: The Clippers win, and the game turns on the arc, the Clippers at 41 percent from three to Denver's 33 and the line, where Denver takes 26 free throws a game to the Clippers' 18. Call it the Clippers 114, Denver 109.
4/29 vs LAC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Denver comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 105 a night and allowing 108, shooting 46 percent and 35 from three, 23 free throws a game; Jokić at 26 and Murray at 19 a game. 2 days' rest. The Clippers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 103, shooting 49 percent and 40 from three, 18 free throws a game; Leonard at 28 and Harden at 25 a game. Without Coffey (4 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: The Clippers win, on the road, and the game turns on the arc, the Clippers at 40 percent from three to Denver's 35 and the line, where Denver takes 23 free throws a game to the Clippers' 18. Call it the Clippers 111, Denver 110, Denver keeping it close.
5/01 @ LAC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Clippers come in 2-3 over their last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 106, shooting 49 percent and 39 from three, 20 free throws a game; Leonard at 25 and Zubac at 20 a game. Without Coffey (5 straight). One day's rest. Denver comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 109, shooting 47 percent and 39 from three, 22 free throws a game; Jokić at 25 and Murray at 25 a game. One day's rest.
So: The Clippers win, and the game turns on the glass, where Denver has been plus-3 a night and the Clippers minus-3. Call it the Clippers 113, Denver 109, Denver keeping it close.
4/09 vs HOU 134-117 — LAC notes
LAC won 134-117. LAC shot 53% (48 of 90) to HOU's 51%, 19 of 37 from three, and went to the line 19 times to HOU's 10 — 19 points from the stripe to their 7. Harden led with 35 (10 of 18, 5 of 11 from three, 10 of 10 at the line); Leonard added 22, Zubac 20. The hinge was Q2, 35-23: a lead of 1 became 13, and the lead reached 19. Dunn was the night's best plus/minus at +23.
4/11 @ SAC 101-100 — LAC notes
LAC won 101-100. LAC shot 51% (40 of 78) to SAC's 44%, 7 of 21 from three. Leonard led with 28 (10 of 21, 2 of 3 from three, 6 of 6 at the line); Harden added 23, Zubac 17. The hinge was Q2, 26-20: LAC came in trailing by 5 and left it ahead by 1. Zubac was the night's best plus/minus at +10.
4/13 @ GSW 124-119 — LAC notes
LAC won 124-119 in 1 overtime. LAC shot 56% (48 of 86) to GSW's 54%, 14 of 30 from three. The glass went 42-25 for them. Harden led with 39 (13 of 23, 5 of 8 from three, 8 of 9 at the line); Leonard added 33, Zubac 22. The hinge was Q2, 35-25: LAC came in trailing by 8 and left it ahead by 2. Leonard was the night's best plus/minus at +17.
4/19 @ DEN 110-112 — LAC notes
LAC lost 110-112 in 1 overtime. LAC shot 50% (43 of 86) to DEN's 44%, 12 of 33 from three, and got to the line 16 times to DEN's 27. LAC turned it over 20 times to DEN's 11, and DEN turned those into 11 steals. Harden led with 32 (11 of 22, 4 of 9 from three, 6 of 6 at the line); Leonard added 22, Zubac 21. Q1 was theirs, 35-27, but the other 4 periods went 85-75 against them. They led by as many as 15.
4/21 @ DEN 105-102 — LAC notes
LAC won 105-102. LAC shot 48% (41 of 85) to DEN's 47%, 13 of 34 from three, and got to the line 12 times to DEN's 22. LAC turned it over 11 times to DEN's 20. The glass went 32-50 against them. Leonard led with 39 (15 of 19, 4 of 7 from three); Harden added 18, Zubac 16. The hinge was Q2, 30-21: LAC came in trailing by 6 and left it ahead by 3. Powell was the night's best plus/minus at +8.
4/24 vs DEN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Clippers come in 4-1 over their last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 110, shooting 52 percent and 42 from three, 17 free throws a game; Harden at 29 and Leonard at 29 a game. Without Coffey (2 straight). 2 days' rest. Denver comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 110, shooting 48 percent and 35 from three, 28 free throws a game; Jokić at 24 and Gordon at 22 a game. It has won the glass by 7 a night. Without Strawther (2 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: The Clippers win, and the game turns on the line, where Denver takes 28 free throws a game to the Clippers' 17 and the glass, where Denver has been plus-7 a night and the Clippers minus-0. Call it the Clippers 115, Denver 112, Denver keeping it close.
4/26 vs DEN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Clippers come in 4-1 over their last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 103, shooting 51 percent and 41 from three, 18 free throws a game; Leonard at 29 and Harden at 26 a game. Without Coffey (3 straight). One day's rest. Denver comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 110, shooting 46 percent and 33 from three, 26 free throws a game; Jokić at 24 and Gordon at 21 a game. It has won the glass by 4 a night. One day's rest.
So: The Clippers win, and the game turns on the arc, the Clippers at 41 percent from three to Denver's 33 and the line, where Denver takes 26 free throws a game to the Clippers' 18. Call it the Clippers 114, Denver 109.
4/29 @ DEN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Denver comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 105 a night and allowing 108, shooting 46 percent and 35 from three, 23 free throws a game; Jokić at 26 and Murray at 19 a game. 2 days' rest. The Clippers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 103, shooting 49 percent and 40 from three, 18 free throws a game; Leonard at 28 and Harden at 25 a game. Without Coffey (4 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: The Clippers win, on the road, and the game turns on the arc, the Clippers at 40 percent from three to Denver's 35 and the line, where Denver takes 23 free throws a game to the Clippers' 18. Call it the Clippers 111, Denver 110, Denver keeping it close.
5/01 vs DEN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Clippers come in 2-3 over their last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 106, shooting 49 percent and 39 from three, 20 free throws a game; Leonard at 25 and Zubac at 20 a game. Without Coffey (5 straight). One day's rest. Denver comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 109, shooting 47 percent and 39 from three, 22 free throws a game; Jokić at 25 and Murray at 25 a game. One day's rest.
So: The Clippers win, and the game turns on the glass, where Denver has been plus-3 a night and the Clippers minus-3. Call it the Clippers 113, Denver 109, Denver keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
DENAG A. Gordon
CB C. Braun
DJ D. Jordan
JM J. Murray
JP J. Pickett
JO Jokic
MP M. Porter Jr.
NJ N. Jokić
PW P. Watson
RW R. Westbrook
LACBB B. Bogdanović
BS B. Simmons
DJ D. Jones Jr.
IZ I. Zubac
JH J. Harden
KD K. Dunn
KL K. Leonard
NB N. Batum
NP N. Powell
DEN/LAC the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Kawhi Leonard's 39 points lead Clippers to a 105-102 win over Nuggets to even series 1-1
DENVER -- — Kawhi Leonard scored 39 points on 15-of-19 shooting and the Los Angeles Clippers evened their first-round playoff series against the Nuggets with a 105-102 win in Denver on Monday night.
“It feels like he didn't miss a shot,” James Harden said. “His shot-making ability is elite.”
Good thing, too, because his teammates were a combined 26 of 66 for a 39% clip.
“I made shots tonight,” Leonard said. “I just keep playing, try to stay in the zone no matter if I’m making or missing shots.”
And the fifth-seeded Clippers needed every bit of his brilliance to snatch the homecourt advantage in the series from the fourth-seeded Nuggets.
“This is what Kawhi lives for, getting healthy for the playoffs,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. “We know if we've got a healthy Kawhi, we can win any series.”
After appearing in just two playoff games over the last two years, the 33-year-old two-time Finals MVP is healthy and looking like his old self after missed the first 34 games of the season because of lingering issues with his surgically repaired knees.
“I'm just happy I'm able to move, you know, coming out of the game feeling well,” Leonard said. “I sat and watched these playoff games the last two years, so yeah, to be front-line out there, it feels good.”
Christian Braun was long on a 3-pointer with 6 seconds left, and Nikola Jokic , who recorded his 19th career playoff triple-double, grabbed the rebound but also missed a 3, with 1 second remaining.
The series shifts to Los Angeles for Game 3 Thursday night.
The Clippers, who lost Game 1 in overtime, haven’t lost back-to-back games since March 2-4, a stretch of 23 games, and they handed David Adelman his first loss in five games since replacing Michael Malone in a stunning move on the eve of the playoffs.
Jokic, just the third player to average a triple-double over a season , had 26 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists and Jamal Murray added 23 points for the Nuggets, who also got a bounce-back game from Michael Porter Jr . (15 points and 15 rebounds) after his 3-point performance in Game 1.
It wasn't enough against Leonard, who had 21 points at the break, including a pull-up 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer that broke a 52-all tie.
“To his credit, he was awesome tonight,” Adelman said.
“He just got to his spots,” Murray said. “And even when we're there he made some tough shots. He had a night. He got going and he was tough to stop.”
Leonard also had a key steal of a Jokic pass with 37 seconds remaining in the game, but Harden missed at the other end and Braun grabbed the defensive rebound with 11 seconds left.
The Nuggets committed 20 turnovers — the same number the Clippers had in Game 1 — and missed eight free throws. “That was a killer,” Adelman said.
Jokic had an uncharacteristic seven turnovers and missed 4 of 10 free throws.
Porter sprained his left shoulder in the closing minutes when he turned the ball over and hit the floor with Kris Dunn rolling over him in the scramble. Porter grimaced while getting dressed afterward and said he hoped that his shooting in L.A. won't be affected being that it was his left shoulder.