3 Crucial Questions Ahead Of Nuggets-Clippers Game 7

The Los Angeles Clippers and the Denver Nuggets will treat us to the first Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Playoffs on Saturday night. Most anticipated this series to go the distance and the chess match between two excellent teams hasn’t disappointed.

To escape this series and challenge the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round, both teams must adjust to their weak points and lean into their strengths. Let’s discuss three key questions to watch for, which could determine the outcome of Game 7.

Will James Harden Rise To The Occasion?

Despite solid overall series averages for James Harden (20.7 points, 8.5 assists, 5.5 boards on 58.1% true shooting), The Beard’s performance has fluctuated wildly. Playoff Harden’s inconsistency led to consecutive outings in which he scored 15 and 11 points, followed by an efficient 28-point Game 6.

Harden attempted a series-high 10 shots at the rim in Game 6, making seven of them and drawing five free throws. It was Harden’s first game all season with 10 attempts at the hoop and his first double-digit game since January 2022. He picked on Denver’s weaker perimeter defenders to score at the basket and find teammates behind rotations.

If the Clippers hope to win Game 7 on the road, they’ll need the best version of Harden or something close to it. His ability to punish Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr., force extra defensive help and release the ball to Ivica Zubac will play a critical part in their offensive success.

How Do The Clippers Defend Nikola Jokic?

To a certain extent, Nikola Jokic’s production and imprint on the game are inevitable. He’s isolating more and more as the series progresses, logging a series-high seven isolation possessions in Game 6. Los Angeles will leave Zubac alone to defend Jokic, conceding the one-on-one matchup instead of opening ing windows for Jokic.

Defending Jokic in the minutes when Zubac sits becomes far more complicated. The Clippers don’t have another center in their rotation and have relied on big wings and forwards to check Jokic. They’ll try Nicolas Batum, Ben Simmons and even Harden, leaning on their help defense in those lineups.

In Game 6, head coach Ty Lue relied on Batum as his backup 5-man and benefited from his sage-like positioning, excellent reflexes and ing lane disruption. But defending Jokic takes a village and no one Clipper can slow him completely. They must rely on their collective power to make Jokic uncomfortable, all while mitigating another Jamal Murray explosion.

Can Kris Dunn Play Extended Minutes?

Kris Dunn represents the limitations non-shooting threats present in the playoffs, even when they bring major positives elsewhere. Lue has dropped his minutes throughout the series and Dunn played just 10 minutes in Game 6 after averaging 25.4 minutes through the first five games.

With Dunn on the floor, the Nuggets effectively gain a numbers advantage defensively. They’ll roam and help off of him, daring him to punish them as a shooter. That hasn’t happened to this point, despite Dunn making a solid 34.6 percent of his triples throughout the series. Los Angeles’ offense has improved by 4.2 points per 100 possessions with Dunn on the bench.

In the Clippers’ Game 6 win, Dunn didn’t leave the bench in the second half. Lue turned to Batum for his outside shooting and size defending against Jokic. To win Game 7 and advance to the next round, the Clippers must sharpen their offensive play. There’s a chance Dunn won’t fit into that plan again, despite his defensive greatness.