LA Clippers 113-107 Denver Nuggets: Twitter reacts as Paul George goes off, Kawhi Leonard blocks shot with one finger

Denver Nuggets v Los Angeles Clippers - Game Three

The LA Clippers and the Denver Nuggets played out an enthralling Game 3 of the NBA Western Conference Semifinals on Monday evening. The LA Clippers prevailed in an intense battle to take a 2-1 lead in the series. The two Clippers stars - Kawhi Leonard and Paul George - carried their team, although they were supported well by the bench unit who shared the scoring among themselves.

The Denver Nuggets started the game on the upper hand and built a 13-point lead at one instance in the first half, as the LA Clippers defense struggled to contain Nikola Jokic. They upped the ante late into the second half to ensure they only trailed the Nuggets by two points.

Both teams battled hard in the second half but ultimately, the Clippers' tenacity pushed them over the line and earned them a hard-fought win that will give them a boost in confidence going into their future games.

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The Denver Nuggets get the better of the LA Clippers in the first half

The Denver Nuggets came out with all guns blazing, with playmaking big Nikola Jokic central to their offense.

This is all Jokic, getting the ball from the ref quickly and kicking it ahead. pic.twitter.com/bYmJuffM38
— Mo Dakhil (@MoDakhil_NBA) September 8, 2020

Paul George was the hero for the LA Clippers as he answered each of Jokic's blows with one of his own.

Paul George has 17 points in 20 minutes tonight. He's been really good.
— Andrew Greif (@AndrewGreif) September 8, 2020

Finally some life from the Clippers' bench - five-straight points from Kawhi Leonard including the rare fastbreak pushes Denver into a timeout. LAC down 6.
— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) September 8, 2020

The Clippers' defense is a mess right now.
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) September 8, 2020

Nikola Jokic has 10 points, seven rebounds and six assists with 4:58 left in the first half. There's been just 1 first-half playoff triple-double since play-by-play tracking started in 1996-97 and that was Russell Westbrook (2017) according to ESPN Stats and Info.
— Ohm Youngmisuk (@NotoriousOHM) September 8, 2020

🔥 DUO DUELS in 1st half on TNT! 🔥

PG-13 & Kawhi: 31 PTS
Jokic & Murray: 24 PTS pic.twitter.com/HVpkcdOr53
— NBA (@NBA) September 8, 2020

Textbook Kawhi 😤 pic.twitter.com/lWMLuSwzIL
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 8, 2020

SO MANY HIGHLIGHT BUCKETS HAPPENING SO FAST
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) September 8, 2020

MPJ hoopin 🔥

12 points and 6 rebounds in 10 minutes off the bench pic.twitter.com/eVOcmJiUNq
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 8, 2020

It's amazing how three minutes of defensive intensity makes the Clippers look better
— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) September 8, 2020

NBA analyst Skip Bayless was a little to early to write off the LA Clippers. The former professional basketball player was impressed by the start the Denver Nuggets made, and couldn't see a way back for Kawhi Leonard and co.

Once again, the Clippers simply weren't ready to PLAY tonight. Denver is playing much harder and shooting with more conviction and urgency. I will now be very surprised if the Clippers win this game. Then we'll see what they're made of in Game 4.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) September 8, 2020

The LA Clippers fight back in second half to defeat the Denver Nuggets

Nikola Jokic started the second half from where he left off in the first, and he continued to be aggressive offensively. He made three 3s in a row along with some pretty assists to maintain the lead his team had. NBA stars Nikola Vucevic and Draymond Green gave one of the best centers in the league a shoutout.

3 for a dolla!
— Draymond Green (@Money23Green) September 8, 2020

Jokic Elway
— Nikola Vucevic (@NikolaVucevic) September 8, 2020

Talented youngster Michael Porter Jr. showcased his ability to rise up with this highlight dunk.

DON'T DO HIM LIKE THAT, MPJ pic.twitter.com/EIZ3cOeaho
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 8, 2020

Nikola Jokic is the 3rd player with at least 25 Pts, 10 Reb and 8 Ast through 3 quarters of a playoff game since play-by-play tracking began in 1996-97. The others to reach those marks are Steve Nash (May 18, 2005) and LeBron James (3 instances). pic.twitter.com/KwnoWLlChD
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) September 8, 2020

Kawhi Leonard made a clutch block down the stretch to deny Jamal Murray a poster.

NBA PLAYER: “im going to dunk on Kawhi.”

KAWHI: pic.twitter.com/e8UrXVhnNi
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) September 8, 2020

He blocked it with his middle finger 😂😭
— Josh Okogie (@CallMe_NonStop) September 8, 2020

In the end, it was a team effort from one of the favourites to win the NBA title this season.

CLIPPERS WIN! pic.twitter.com/Hnu5Kk94NX
— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) September 8, 2020

The two teams face each other again in a couple of days.

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