The 2025 NBA Playoffs officially arrived in the ‘Mile High City’ on April 19 2025 and if Game 1 between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Denver Nuggets is anything to go by, this series is sure to go down to the wire, keeping every hoops fan on the edge of their seats.
Right from the opening tip, the intensity at Ball Arena was palpable. The Denver faithful, who did not know what to expect of their Michael Malone-less team, stood in anticipation till the first basket for the Nuggets. Michael Porter Jr took care of this by draining a three from the corner. This game also saw a ‘David vs Goliath’ match-up on the sidelines. Denver’s David Adelman was coaching his 1st playoff game going up against Tyronn Lue, in his 93rd.
The play of Kawhi Leonard and James Harden stood out for the Clippers as they look to improve upon their Game 1 performance heading into Game 2. Both of them are expected to play on Monday night. Both Kawhi Leonard and James Harden were at their physical best in a long time, as far as postseason play goes. All the drama surrounding the availability of these two superstars seems to have been finally laid to rest. Game 1 was a tight affair, and the Clippers can certainly take heart from the performance of their ‘Dynamic Duo.’ The West Coast team would be banking on them to take them home in Game 2. The Clippers would also want strong bench play to have any chance of leveling the series.
However, the Clippers let slip a golden opportunity to secure home-court advantage by being careless with the basketball in crunch time.
Apr 19, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; LA Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2) warms up before the game against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
In Game 1, Kawhi Leonard had 22 points on 60% shooting, pulling down 6 rebounds. James Harden tallied an impressive 32 points on 11-22, with 11 dimes and 6 rebounds. For the home team, Nikola Jokić was sensational as usual, going off for 29 points, hauling in 9 rebounds, while dishing out 12 assists. He was ably supported by Aaron Gordon and Jamal Murray, who poured in 25 and 21 points, respectively. Russell Westbrook and Christian Braun also provided some big minutes for the Nuggets. Westbrook, however, was unable to take the chance he had down the stretch to end the game in regulation.
This meant Game 1 was deadlocked at 98 all at the end of 48 minutes. The viewer was to be treated to 5 more minutes of intense basketball. OT, again witnessed a seesaw battle, until Russell Westbrook came up big in the clutch. With just 10.9 seconds left in overtime, and the Nuggets clinging on to a slender three-point lead, he came up with a crucial defensive stop off of an inbound pass by the Clippers. The following play would give ‘The Joker’ an opportunity to ice the game for good, which he would accept gleefully from the charity strike. This ensured a hard-fought 112-110 victory, resulting in them going up 1-0 in the series.
With the injury concerns out of the way, let’s take a look at what their starting lineup could look like.
Potential Starting-five for the Clippers in Game 2
The Clippers did not have any major injury scares in Game 1 and are expected to have the same starting five for Game 2.
Point Guard
James Harden
Shooting Guard
Kris Dunn
Small Forward
Norman Powell
Power Forward
Kawhi Leonard
Center
Ivica Zubac
Come Monday night, it is imperative that the Clippers bounce back from their crushing Game 1 loss. Failure to do so would put them in a deeper hole flying back to the Intuit Dome for Game 3.
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