When to play in the playoffs? A four-tower battle! Harden had 11 assists, Kawhi scored 17+2, and the Clippers suffered 18+7.

On October 13, the NBA preseason continued, and today we ushered in a high-profile game. The Clippers faced the challenge of the Nuggets at home. This game was also jokingly called the G8 of the playoffs by fans. In the playoffs last season, the two sides fought fiercely until the tiebreaker, and the Clippers eventually lost to the Nuggets. This game did not look like a preseason game at all. The two sides played very fiercely. Next, let’s talk about the game process first, and then talk about the performance of the players.

Game review:

Collins and Leonard led the team to a 6-0 start in the first quarter. Gordon and Jokic scored 4 points together to open up the Nuggets. Zubac scored 4 points in a row, and Jokic went inside. The tip-in was followed by assists for Braun and Gordon to hit three-pointers one after another. The Nuggets took the lead. Collins and Dunn scored 5 points together in response. Gordon and Cameron Johnson scored 4 points together. The two sides fought against each other in the first quarter. At the end of the first quarter, the Nuggets were 1 point behind the Clippers.

In the second quarter, Leonard made two free throws to help the Clippers expand their lead. Varan scored 4 points in a row to help the Nuggets take the lead again. After that, the Nuggets' bench began to work hard. Under the leadership of Varan, they once established a 6-point lead. The Clippers After starting the game, Zubac and Leonard scored one after another to help the Clippers catch up with the point difference. Gordon and Jokic responded by scoring 4 points with consecutive offenses and penalties. At the end of the quarter, Jones Jr. and Leonard led the team to a 13-5 climax and went ahead by 2 points to end the first half.

Harden made two free throws to help the Clippers expand their lead. Cameron Johnson and Braun hit three-pointers one after another. The Nuggets once again overtook the Clippers with an 8-0 climax. Collins responded with a three-pointer and Jokic made a hook. The two sides fell into a stalemate again after that, and the score alternated. At the end of the quarter, Hardaway Jr. made two free throws to help the Nuggets lead by 1 point to end the third quarter.

Both sides finally replaced the substitutes in the final decisive battle, but the two sides still played very seriously. Curtis Jones scored 5 points in the last minute to help the Nuggets establish a 4-point lead. In the end, the Nuggets defeated the Clippers 102-94 without any danger.

The Nuggets are blooming more

This game can be said to be the most exciting game in the preseason so far. The two sides do not have preseason games to play. They are both strong teams in the Western Conference. They regard their opponents as competitors for next season. , and also wanted the opponent to be a touchstone. In this campaign, Jokic made 6 of 9 shots, 0 of 2 three-pointers, and scored 12 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block. The Clippers have enough inside players to limit Jokic's damage, but they cannot prevent his passing.

Because the defensive focus of this game was on Jokic, it also gave Gordon more open opportunities. He scored 18 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists on 6 of 11 shots from the field. He was the Nuggets' sufferer in the playoffs last year, but he did not expect it to be the same this year. Braun also played very well in this campaign. He scored 11 points and 3 assists on 4 of 5 from the field. Cameron Johnson scored 8 points on 2 of 7 three-pointers. He still doesn't adapt to the Nuggets' system.

Varan proved himself as a substitute in this campaign. He scored 10 points, 9 rebounds and 1 assist on 5 of 7 shots from the field. Varan's inside killing ability is indeed powerful. He is a starting-level center playing as a substitute. It can actually reduce the dimensionality of the attack, because of his outstanding performance, Jokic can also get more rest time. The Clippers have strengthened the inside to fight against the Nuggets and Thunder, but the Nuggets have also strengthened the inside. If the two sides meet in the playoffs of the new season, it will definitely be good to watch.

Leonard's steady output

Through this game, everyone should have seen the shortcomings of the Clippers. They are aging seriously, and some veterans may not be able to play their role in the face of high-intensity defense. Like Paul, he scored 2 points and 2 assists on 1 of 5 in this game. It's okay to play against an underdog, but Paul is 40 years old, and he still has trouble facing young people who can run and pick. Batum also scored 0 in this game. These two are their core rotation. Daluo performed well and got 15 points and 1 assist. He made 3 of 6 three-pointers in the game. You can't expect him to be so efficient in three-pointers every game.

Harden still doesn’t have much interest in personal offense in this campaign. He scored 5 points, 5 rebounds and 11 assists on 1-of-6 shooting. In the new season, the team’s lineup is so thick, Harden does not need to lead the team with all his firepower. Although they have many veterans, there will be some who will not perform well, but their lineup is thick enough, and there will always be someone who can stand up. This is also their advantage. In addition to Los Angeles, Jones scored 12 points and 3 rebounds in this campaign.

Leonard and Zubac continued their stable performance in this campaign. Leonard made 5 of 10 shots and scored 17 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist. Zubac scored 11 points, 10 rebounds and 2 assists on 5 of 6 shots. Assists, Kawhi wants to play more games in the regular season this season, but to be honest, I hope he can play more games in the playoffs. It is better to rest as much as possible in the regular season. He has suffered so many serious injuries in his career, and he is still so accurate, which is amazing enough.

Having said that, what do you want to say about these two teams? Welcome to leave a message for discussion.