James Harden scores 28, and the Clippers force Game 7 with a gritty 111-105 win over the Nuggets

By Canadian Press on May 1, 2025.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — James Harden had 28 points and eight assists in an outstanding bounce-back performance, Kawhi Leonard added 27 points and the Los Angeles Clippers forced a seventh game in their first-round NBA playoff series with a 111-105 victory over the Denver Nuggets in Game 6 on Thursday night.

Norman Powell scored 24 points for the Clippers, who rebounded from back-to-back losses with an impressive effort at new Intuit Dome. Los Angeles took control in the second half while playing tenacious defense on Nikola Jokic, who scored 20 of his 25 points in the first half.

Game 7 is Saturday in Denver.

Jamal Murray scored 21 points for the Nuggets, who lost a potential series-clinching playoff game for the third time in four tries over the past two seasons since their 2023 championship run. Denver also blew a 3-2 series lead over Minnesota in the second round last season.

The Nuggets haven’t won a Game 7 since 2020, when they ousted the Clippers from the conference semifinals in the Florida bubble.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA

Greg Beacham, The Associated Press

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