After four games, the Clippers and the Nuggets are tied in their series (2-2), and it is ultimately quite logical since the two teams had finished the regular season with the same assessment (50V-32).
Except that in fact, the clippers could very well lead 3-1, or even be qualified, if Russell Westbrook During Game 1 and Aaron Gordon During Game 4 had not been decisive.
If in tennis, the 7th game is decisive, in playoffs, it is the 5th round. As proof, when there are 2-2, 81% of the teams who win Game 5 end up winning the series. That is to say how important this game 5 is.
After the unfortunate outcome of Game 4, the Angelinos will have to raise their heads to go to Colorado and try to resume the advantage. “We have to move forward, there are 2-2”, confided Nicolas Batum After Game 4. “Now we go back to Denver. We have already won a match, and almost two with them. We must regroup and move forward. We always have a chance to win the series. »»
And listening to Norman Powell, it should still be muscular. “This is exactly what we want,” he says about the electric atmosphere. “No team is ready to give up the slightest centimeter, no team wants to go back. So it will become tense. We're going to fight. We have guys who like it. We have already experienced all kinds of series during our career. So it is nothing that we have already faced or seen before. »»
What solutions against Nikola Jokic?
To regain control, and therefore the advantage of the field, the Clippers will have to defend better on Nikola Jokic. In continuity of its incredible regular season, the Serbian runs in Triple-double-double on this series Facing the Clippers (28.5 points, 13.5 rebounds, 10.8 assists). Ivica Zubac is sent on the front line to the Serbian, but despite his excellent defensive qualities, the Croatian has a hard time stopping the reigning MVP.
However, the clippers' pivot does not give up. “You must not be discouraged by looking at the stats of other players or if you are led by 20 points”, he explains. “You just have to try to win. »»
Tyronn LUE is still looking for means to contain the Serbian and he could change his rotations for the fifth round. During the last meeting, the coach of Los Angeles was pointed out because he had left James Harden, Norman Powell and Bogdan Bogdanovic on the ground during the final possession, when they are not excellent defenders.
“If Nikola Jokic's shooting touches the arch, this is a different situation”, defends Tyronn Lue. “He made a perfect airball. »»
For the clippers coach, the five present on the field had shown great things defensively during the fourth quarter, and he preferred to trust them until the end. With an airball near, he was right …
| Shots | Rebound | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | Lf | Off | Def | Early | PD | COP | Int | Ct | Fte | Pts |
| James Harden | 79 | 35.3 | 41.0 | 35.2 | 87.4 | 0.7 | 5.1 | 5.8 | 8.7 | 4.3 | 1.5 | 0.7 | 2.1 | 22.8 |
| Norman Powell | 60 | 32.6 | 48.4 | 41.8 | 80.4 | 0.4 | 2.8 | 3.2 | 2.1 | 1.8 | 1.2 | 0.2 | 1.9 | 21.8 |
| Kawhi Leonard | 37 | 31.9 | 49.8 | 41.1 | 81.0 | 0.9 | 5.0 | 5.9 | 3.1 | 1.9 | 1.6 | 0.5 | 1.5 | 21.5 |
| Ivica Zubac | 80 | 32.8 | 62.8 | 0.0 | 66.1 | 3.8 | 8.9 | 12.6 | 2.7 | 1.6 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 2.1 | 16.8 |
| Bogdan Bogdanovic | 30 | 25.0 | 47.4 | 42.7 | 87.5 | 0.4 | 2.7 | 3.1 | 3.2 | 1.2 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 2.3 | 11.4 |
| DERRICK Jones | 77 | 24.3 | 52.6 | 35.6 | 70.3 | 1.2 | 2.2 | 3.4 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 2.0 | 10.1 |
| Amir Coffey | 72 | 24.3 | 47.1 | 40.9 | 89.1 | 0.4 | 1.8 | 2.2 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 1.7 | 9.7 |
| Kevin Porter, Jr. | 45 | 19.6 | 42.3 | 24.5 | 64.5 | 0.6 | 2.9 | 3.6 | 3.2 | 1.9 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 1.6 | 9.3 |
| Bones Hyland | 20 | 11.1 | 39.1 | 38.8 | 88.5 | 0.3 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 1.4 | 1.2 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 1.3 | 7.2 |
| Kris Dunn | 74 | 24.1 | 43.9 | 33.5 | 68.2 | 0.7 | 2.7 | 3.4 | 2.8 | 1.0 | 1.7 | 0.4 | 2.7 | 6.4 |
| Mann terance | 37 | 19.8 | 44.6 | 34.7 | 71.9 | 0.9 | 2.0 | 2.9 | 1.6 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 1.8 | 6.0 |
| Mohamed Bamba | 28 | 12.6 | 46.6 | 30.0 | 68.0 | 0.9 | 3.4 | 4.3 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 1.0 | 1.8 | 4.6 |
| Jordan Miller | 37 | 11.4 | 43.3 | 21.1 | 80.0 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 1.6 | 0.9 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.7 | 4.1 |
| Nicolas Batum | 78 | 17.5 | 43.7 | 43.3 | 81.0 | 0.6 | 2.2 | 2.8 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 1.4 | 4.0 |
| Marjon Beauchamp | 3 | 5.7 | 57.1 | 66.7 | 50.0 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 4.0 |
| Patty Mills | 12 | 5.0 | 50.0 | 50.0 | 88.9 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 3.1 |
| Patrick Baldwin, Jr. | 2 | 3.1 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 3.0 |
| Ben Simmons | 18 | 16.4 | 43.4 | 0.0 | 85.7 | 0.9 | 2.9 | 3.8 | 3.1 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 1.4 | 2.9 |
| Drew Eubanks | 24 | 7.4 | 55.1 | 0.0 | 78.6 | 0.8 | 1.6 | 2.4 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 2.7 |
| Kai Jones | 28 | 7.4 | 72.2 | 0.0 | 75.0 | 0.5 | 1.1 | 1.6 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 2.2 |
| Kobe Brown | 40 | 6.8 | 45.8 | 23.1 | 71.4 | 0.5 | 1.2 | 1.6 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 1.9 |
| Trentyn Flowers | 6 | 4.4 | 36.4 | 0.0 | 100.0 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 1.8 |
| Cameron Christie | 13 | 4.5 | 29.2 | 15.4 | 50.0 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 1.4 |
