Clippers vs Nuggets G1 Preview: Jokic hints that the beast is awakened Harden Jr. to hit the first win

At 3:30 a.m. Beijing time on April 20, the first game day of the NBA playoffs, the Nuggets will face the Clippers at home. Jokic Murray PK Leonard Harden, who can get the first win?

The Clippers are 50-32 in the regular season and are fifth in the West; The Nuggets are 50-32 and in fourth place in the West. The two teams have met four times in the regular season, winning two games each.

After Nuggets owner Kroenke fired the team's head coach and general manager with just three games left in the regular season, many in NBA circles no longer believe the Nuggets have what it takes to compete for a championship.

No team has ever had to adjust to a new leadership voice in such a short period of time before the playoffs. However, facing a potentially play-in progression Nuggets, they have made it three wins in a row under interim coach David Adelman.

The winning streak allowed the Nuggets to secure the fourth-seeded spot in the competitive Western Conference playoffs and home-court advantage against the fifth-seeded Los Angeles Clippers in the first-round series.

In Adelman's first game, the night Malone and Booth were fired due to a long-term feud, the Nuggets won 124-116 over the Kings. After the game, supergiant Jokic sent a short, punchy message to friends and opponents alike.

"People say we're vulnerable, but beasts are often the most dangerous when they seem vulnerable," Jokic said, suggesting that perhaps Kroenke "woke up the beast."

Kroenke said he made the changes to save the season and praised his coaching staff and players for stepping up when it mattered most.

The Nuggets get a week off, but their opponents in the first round are anything but soft.

The Clippers entered the playoffs as the league's hottest team, winning all eight of their final regular season games to finish the season with an 18-3 record. Their only two losses in the past month have been to top-seeded Thunder (101-103 on March 24) and Cavaliers (122-127 on March 31).

"They're a great team," Jokic said, "and they've been playing really well lately. They have extremely dangerous players, and their bench players are probably the best in the league in their respective roles. They are really dangerous. We know it's going to be a big task for us, but I think we're ready for it. ”

Jokic's stellar performance

Jokic is a three-time regular season MVP, but his previous seasons with those awards have been different from the one he just past. He is only the third player to average a triple-double in a single season, and he is averaging a career-high 29.6 points, 10.2 assists and 12.7 rebounds per game.

Jokic is the first player in NBA history to rank among the top three in the league in points, rebounds and assists in the same season.

"It's not easy to prepare for him defending," Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said, "and we can't expect Zubac to defend him one-on-one every night." We had to use a different defensive strategy to make him lose his rhythm. If you wrap him up, he could have 15 assists; If you defend him alone, he might be able to score 50 points. ”

A small card to get back to the state

The Nuggets have a 14-13 record after the All-Star break, and the Clippers' form has been steadily rising since Kawhi Leonard returned after missing the first 34 games of the season with knee surgery.

Leonard has won two NBA championships, once with the Spurs and the other with the Raptors. But in his five years with the Clippers, health issues have been a major concern for him.

Leonard has played in just two playoff games in the past two seasons due to injuries. And now, he looks like he's back to the way he used to be (or when he was younger).

"It's great for us to have him playing at this level and it's really helpful for our team," Tyronn Lue said, "I'm happy for him, he's put in so much effort to get to this point and stay healthy at the end of the season." ”

An underrated dark horse?

Two years after the Denver Nuggets won their first NBA championship, many teams are priced better than the Nuggets to win the NBA championship, but Aaron Gordon said the Nuggets have become accustomed to being looked down upon. "I mean, it was the same with the season we won the championship," Gordon said.

List of injuries and illnesses

Clippers: All in good health

Nuggets: Holmes is out

ESPN Predicted Win Rate:Clippers 41.1%, Nuggets 58.9%