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Nuggets Fans Are F-ing Pissed After Game 3 Annihilation By Clippers

The playoff blow-out was among the most embarrassing in Nuggets history.
April 25, 2025
Image: David Adelman, interim coach for the Denver Nuggets, during post-game interview
David Adelman, interim coach for the Denver Nuggets, wore an expression a lot like this one during an April 24 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. DNVR via YouTube
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Frankly, the fact that the Denver Nuggets lost to the Los Angeles Clippers in game three of their first-round playoffs matchup on April 25 wasn't the biggest surprise in the world. After all, the Nuggets had to go to overtime to win the first contest against the Clip Show and lost the second after an epochal performance by two-time champ Kawhi Leonard, and a subpar, error-laden one from Denver's superstar, Nikola Jokić. But the scope of the catastrophe — the final score was 117-83, a 34-point margin — was both a shock and an embarrassment.

Not to mention the worst kind of harbinger.

The powers-that-are in the NBA seemed to know the game would be a stinker. Instead of airing on TNT, the broadcast was relegated to NBA TV, the outlet with the lowest possible national profile. Locally, the NBA TV offering was blacked out, but at least Comcast customers could watch on Altitude TV, thanks to the recent resolution of a years-long feud. Unfortunately, though, Altitude's imaging, built around the two-word phrase "We Believe," came across as mockery over the course of another miserable night.

Questions about the Nuggets' health were rife well before the opening tip. Michael Porter Jr. had a mummy-like wrap on his non-shooting shoulder after the Clippers' Kris Dunn fell on him toward the end of game two. Meanwhile, Jamal Murray was said to be battling an unspecified illness,  Aaron Gordon continued to be hampered by a calf injury that lingered through much of the season, and Jokić still seemed to be struggling with the after-effects of an elbow problem that caused him to miss contests late in the regular campaign. On top of that, Russell Westbrook, who provides both energy and insanity off the bench, reportedly hurt his foot in pre-game warmups.

Westbrook played anyhow, but left the game early after tossing up five three-pointers, only one of which made it through the net. We'd like to say the foot problem was the reason, but actually, his 20 percent accuracy beyond the arc was pretty typical.

As for the rest of the squad, they got off to a strong start, building a seven-point advantage, 26-19, after a Murray layup with just over three minutes left in the opening stanza. But that's where the good news ended. After a foul call against Clippers center Ivica Zubac was reversed, Los Angeles went on a stunning 23-2 run, including one stretch in which they notched seventeen consecutive points — and most of the damage was done from deep. The Clippers swished twelve shots from three in the first half, out of fourteen total, with gifted bench player Nicolas Batum responsible for four of them all by his lonesome. Meanwhile, the Nuggets went stone cold, managing just 19 points in the second quarter — one fewer than their halftime deficit.

An eighteen point gap isn't insurmountable in the NBA for many teams, but it proved to be for the Nuggets, whose three-point-shooting deficiencies have come into sharp relief during the playoffs. Jokić, who has been draped with Clippers defenders so often that they seem like part of his uniform by this point, had yet another triple-double (23 points, 13 rebounds, 13 assists), but statistics have seldom been emptier. Aside from Murray, whose 23 points were equally inconsequential, and Gordon, responsible for 15 points (but only four after the first quarter), the Nuggets were basically no-shows offensively, and they gave only cursory effort on defense, especially once the die was cast.

Denver's resignation was clear shortly after intermission and became official with 4:34 remaining, when the bench was cleared and the starters left the floor in shame, with Porter heading directly to the locker room. That may have been the best decision of the night.

Like the players themselves, members of Nuggets Nation didn't need to wait for the final whistle to grasp the inevitable. The following twenty posts on X were all shared during the game, and each contains one or more profanities — which seems appropriate given what their senders were forced to witness. If the Nuggets don't find a way to take game four in L.A., slated for Saturday, April 26, they'll be all but guaranteed an ignominious first-round exit just two years after donning their first-ever NBA crown.

Get an earful below.

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Image: Michael Roberts
Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.
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