The LA Clippers have a chance to advance to the Western Conference Finals for the first time, while Denver's season is on the line.
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00:00 L.A. Clippers had one of their best few months of the postseason on Wednesday night, pulling
00:03 the Denver Nuggets to just 85 points in an 11-point victory.
00:07 Kawhi Leonard was extraordinary as usual.
00:09 Two-way superstar posted a line of 30 points, 11 rebounds, 9 assists, 4 steals, and 2 blocks
00:14 in 39 minutes of play, welcoming just one turnover and 3 fouls.
00:17 It was an incredibly clean game, and it couldn't have come at a better time for L.A.
00:22 Several key players like Patrick Beverly, Paul George, and Ivica Zubac found themselves
00:26 in foul trouble early in Game 4, each picking up at least 4 fouls and spending less than
00:30 30 minutes on the floor.
00:31 We always sit around and blame the officials, but the fact of the matter is Clippers need
00:35 to be much more disciplined when it comes to making contact, especially as they venture
00:39 deeper into the playoffs.
00:40 And speaking of going deeper, Clippers have a very rare chance to do so tonight.
00:43 A win would eliminate the Nuggets from the postseason and move L.A. onto the Western
00:47 Conference Finals for the first time in franchise history.
00:50 A lot's on the line for both teams tonight, and don't expect either of them to go down
00:53 without a fight.
00:54 A look at some key storylines for tonight's game.
00:57 For L.A., obviously the big thing here is they're one win away from making history.
01:01 It's already been downplayed by Kawhi Leonard and Doc Rivers, but for fans of the Clippers,
01:05 it's impossible to discuss Game 5 without talking about the history that's on the line.
01:10 If L.A. can come out on top in tonight's contest, or any of the two games that follow, for that
01:14 matter, if we do get to those two games, they will advance to the Western Conference Finals
01:18 for the first time in the franchise's 50-year history.
01:22 It's a monumentally long drought, and one that serves as the longest among any NBA,
01:27 NFL, NHL, or MLB team per ESPN stats and info.
01:32 And it's not like the Clippers haven't been close before, either.
01:34 In 2015, L.A. took a 3-1 lead over the Houston Rockets before dropping the next three games
01:38 in one of the worst playoff collapses we've seen in some time.
01:41 That series is the reason that so many fans are feeling so cautiously optimistic about
01:45 this one.
01:46 But that was a different time with a different team that played under very different circumstances.
01:50 There's no reason to expect something like that to happen again this go-around.
01:53 This team does not feel that same pressure.
01:56 The bar was set higher than making it out of the second round, and the job is not done.
02:00 Because of that, it seems much more likely than not that L.A. would get the job done
02:04 on Friday night.
02:05 For Denver, the key storyline is staling off elimination once again.
02:09 The Nuggets are an extremely resilient team, when that much is true.
02:13 This squad already overcame a 3-1 deficit in the first round against the Utah Jazz,
02:17 and at times, they looked finished in that series.
02:20 But the fact of the matter is that no team has ever overcome a 3-1 deficit more than
02:24 once in the same postseason, and that's a task at hand for Denver.
02:28 They're certainly equipped to do it.
02:30 Nicole Diokic is a superstar and is arguably the best offensive center in the game today.
02:35 Jamal Murray demonstrated just how good a shooter he can be against Utah, and Michael
02:38 Malone is an incredible coach.
02:40 That said, every member of this team is going to have to be superb to come back against
02:44 the Clippers, and the consistency just hasn't been there so far this series.
02:48 Diokic has been phenomenal, and there really isn't much to complain about there other
02:51 than his 4.3 turnovers per game, but Murray hasn't been as electric as he was in the
02:55 first round, and that's hurt Denver.
02:57 It could be chalked up to a number of things, whether it's postseason inexperience or
03:00 just being burned out.
03:01 However, it's mostly due to L.A.'s defense.
03:03 The combination of Patrick Beverly, Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, and Marcus Morris Sr. can overwhelm
03:08 even the very best players in the game.
03:11 Stranger things have happened, but the Nuggets need to play some incredible basketball to
03:14 have a chance of coming back in this series.
03:15 Prediction for tonight's game?
03:17 It's not going to be an easy game for either team to win.
03:21 The Clippers know how close they are to moving on, and the Nuggets know that their season
03:25 is over if they lose tonight.
03:27 The urgency and energy is going to be high on both sides.
03:29 However, L.A. has simply looked like the better team in this series so far.
03:33 They have the talent, and a good number of guys, including the head coach and star player,
03:37 have a ton of playoff experience.
03:38 It will probably be close throughout, but this feels like it's L.A.'s worth taking.
03:43 So for that, we have the Clippers winning this one, 121-108.
03:47 Clippers and Nuggets hit the floor for Game 5 on Friday, September 11th at 6.30pm Eastern
03:52 Time, and the contest will air on TNT.