The Setup: Old Rivals, New Stakes
Picture this: the No. 4 Nuggets versus the No. 5 Clippers, both sitting at 50-32 in the regular season. Denver snagged home-court advantage thanks to a tiebreaker from their NBA Cup games, but these teams were neck-and-neck all year. They’d split their regular-season matchups, and with history like that 2020 bubble comeback where Denver erased a 3-1 Clippers lead, you knew this was gonna be a fight.
Denver rolled in with Nikola Jokić, the dude who makes triple-doubles look like a Tuesday afternoon, but they were shaken up. Just days before the playoffs, they fired coach Michael Malone and GM Calvin Booth talk about chaos! Interim coach David Adelman was thrown into the deep end. Meanwhile, the Clippers, coached by the cool-headed Tyronn Lue, were riding an 18-3 hot streak, with Kawhi Leonard looking like the Terminator again, James Harden dishing dimes, and a defense anchored by Ivica Zubac and Kris Dunn. It was Denver’s top-five offense against LA’s top-five defense, and you could feel the tension brewing.
Game 1: Overtime Thriller and Free-Throw Gripes
Game 1 on April 19 was a banger. Denver pulled out a 112-110 win in overtime, but it wasn’t easy. The Clippers jumped out to a 15-point lead early, but Jokić (29 points, 12 assists, nine rebounds) and Russell Westbrook, who hit a clutch corner three late, brought Denver back. The Clippers, though? They coughed up the ball 20 times, including four in OT, with Kawhi alone giving away seven. Ouch.
Here’s where it got messy: fans on X started screaming about the refs. Denver got seven free throws in the third quarter; the Clippers got zero. Social media was buzzing with “the refs love Jokić” takes, even though Harden admitted post-game that the turnovers were on them. Still, that free-throw gap had Clippers fans feeling robbed, and it planted the seed for more drama.
Game 2: Kawhi Goes Off, Things Get Chippy
Game 2 on April 21 was the Clippers’ turn to shine, winning 105-102 to even the series. Kawhi Leonard was unreal—39 points on 15-of-19 shooting, including a silky midrange jumper with under a minute left to seal it. Jokić did his thing with a triple-double (26 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists), but Denver’s 20 turnovers killed them.
Things got heated, though. There was a scuffle that led to technical fouls, and while Tyronn Lue brushed it off as “playoff basketball,” fans weren’t buying it. X was flooded with complaints about missed calls, especially on contact with Jokić and Kawhi. The game was so tight 15 minutes of clutch time, according to The Athletic that every whistle felt like a gut punch. People were starting to wonder if the refs were consistent or just winging it.
Game 3: Clippers Crush, Nuggets Crumble
Game 3 on April 24 at the Clippers’ shiny new Intuit Dome was a straight-up massacre. LA smoked Denver 117-83, taking a 2-1 lead. Kawhi (21 points, 11 rebounds), Harden (20 points, nine assists), and Norman Powell (20 points) were cooking, and the Clippers drained 18 of 39 threes. Denver, on the other hand, looked lost, shooting 7-for-26 from deep and getting outscored 31-6 in bench points. Jokić had another triple-double (23 points, 13 rebounds, 13 assists), but you could see he was gassed.
The drama here wasn’t refs it was Denver’s no-show. Fans on X were ruthless, clowning the Nuggets’ bench and even joking about the horse head props Clippers fans waved to mess with Jokić. Coach Adelman said the props didn’t faze them, but the scoreboard told a different story. The Athletic pointed out how Tyronn Lue’s game plan exposed Denver’s thin roster, doubling Jokić and shutting down Jamal Murray. It was a wake-up call, and Denver looked shook.
Game 4: Aaron Gordon’s Ejection and a Buzzer-Beater for the Ages
Game 4 on April 26 was when things went full soap opera. Denver won 101-99 on Aaron Gordon’s insane putback dunk at the buzzer, tying the series 2-2. That dunk? Pure pandemonium. NBA.com called it a moment that’ll live forever in playoff history. But the game was stolen by two huge controversies: Gordon’s ejection and some seriously questionable officiating.
Mid-game, Gordon got tossed after a heated moment with a Clipper nobody’s 100% sure what happened, but X was on fire.
@LawMurrayTheNU
said it “might’ve changed the series,” while
@BrianJMather
swore Gordon didn’t throw punches and the refs overreacted. Losing Gordon hurt, but Denver fought back from 20 points down, with Jokić and Murray refusing to quit.
Then came the final play. Gordon’s dunk was reviewed forever, with refs checking if it beat the buzzer. It counted, but Clippers fans on X were livid, screaming about ref bias and even claiming the NBA wanted Denver to win for ratings. No proof of that, but the ejection and the tight call had everyone picking sides. It was chaos, and it made the series feel bigger than basketball.
What It All Means
Heading into Game 5 on April 29, the series was a toss-up, but the drama left scars. For Denver, Gordon’s ejection and that Game 3 blowout exposed their weaknesses. They leaned too hard on Jokić and Murray, and their bench was nowhere to be found. Adelman’s coaching was under fire, especially after Lue outsmarted him in Game 3. The Athletic’s Tony Jones said it plain: Denver’s roster isn’t deep enough, and it showed.
The Clippers, meanwhile, proved they’re legit. Kawhi’s back to being a superstar, and their defense is suffocating. But those Game 1 turnovers? Gotta clean that up. Lue’s been a wizard, but fans are still salty about the refs, with some on X convinced the league’s got it out for LA. Again, no evidence, but playoff emotions run deep.
The ref stuff is the bigger issue. Games 2 and 4 showed how one call or non-call can flip a game and spark a firestorm. The NBA’s replay reviews are supposed to help, but when fans feel like calls are random, trust takes a hit. Maybe the league needs to be clearer about how refs make decisions to cool things down.
Fans and Media Go Wild
This series was the talk of the NBA. On X, fans were either hyping the intensity or raging about refs.
@YSX_girlfriend
’s post about Game 2’s free-throw gap had Clippers fans nodding, while
@BrianJMather
’s defense of Gordon’s ejection got Nuggets fans hyped. Outlets like The Athletic and NBA.com kept it real, breaking down X’s and O’s but also admitting the series was getting chippy. Everyone had an opinion, and nobody was holding back.
What’s Next?
Game 5 was looming, and both teams had work to do. Denver needed their bench to step up and their shooters to hit shots. The Clippers had to keep their foot on the gas and avoid those sloppy turnovers. Whoever won, this series was already one for the history books, with enough drama to fill a Netflix doc.
Wrapping It Up
The 2025 Nuggets-Clippers series was everything you love and hate about playoff basketball. You had Kawhi dropping 39, Jokić doing Jokić things, Gordon’s ejection, and that unreal buzzer-beater. But you also had ref controversies and fan meltdowns that made every game feel like a courtroom drama. It’s a reminder that in the playoffs, every play, every call, and every moment hits different. This series wasn’t just a game it was a vibe, and we were all glued to it.
Picture this: the No. 4 Nuggets versus the No. 5 Clippers, both sitting at 50-32 in the regular season. Denver snagged home-court advantage thanks to a tiebreaker from their NBA Cup games, but these teams were neck-and-neck all year. They’d split their regular-season matchups, and with history like that 2020 bubble comeback where Denver erased a 3-1 Clippers lead, you knew this was gonna be a fight.
Denver rolled in with Nikola Jokić, the dude who makes triple-doubles look like a Tuesday afternoon, but they were shaken up. Just days before the playoffs, they fired coach Michael Malone and GM Calvin Booth talk about chaos! Interim coach David Adelman was thrown into the deep end. Meanwhile, the Clippers, coached by the cool-headed Tyronn Lue, were riding an 18-3 hot streak, with Kawhi Leonard looking like the Terminator again, James Harden dishing dimes, and a defense anchored by Ivica Zubac and Kris Dunn. It was Denver’s top-five offense against LA’s top-five defense, and you could feel the tension brewing.
Game 1: Overtime Thriller and Free-Throw Gripes
Game 1 on April 19 was a banger. Denver pulled out a 112-110 win in overtime, but it wasn’t easy. The Clippers jumped out to a 15-point lead early, but Jokić (29 points, 12 assists, nine rebounds) and Russell Westbrook, who hit a clutch corner three late, brought Denver back. The Clippers, though? They coughed up the ball 20 times, including four in OT, with Kawhi alone giving away seven. Ouch.
Here’s where it got messy: fans on X started screaming about the refs. Denver got seven free throws in the third quarter; the Clippers got zero. Social media was buzzing with “the refs love Jokić” takes, even though Harden admitted post-game that the turnovers were on them. Still, that free-throw gap had Clippers fans feeling robbed, and it planted the seed for more drama.
Game 2: Kawhi Goes Off, Things Get Chippy
Game 2 on April 21 was the Clippers’ turn to shine, winning 105-102 to even the series. Kawhi Leonard was unreal—39 points on 15-of-19 shooting, including a silky midrange jumper with under a minute left to seal it. Jokić did his thing with a triple-double (26 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists), but Denver’s 20 turnovers killed them.
Things got heated, though. There was a scuffle that led to technical fouls, and while Tyronn Lue brushed it off as “playoff basketball,” fans weren’t buying it. X was flooded with complaints about missed calls, especially on contact with Jokić and Kawhi. The game was so tight 15 minutes of clutch time, according to The Athletic that every whistle felt like a gut punch. People were starting to wonder if the refs were consistent or just winging it.
Game 3: Clippers Crush, Nuggets Crumble
Game 3 on April 24 at the Clippers’ shiny new Intuit Dome was a straight-up massacre. LA smoked Denver 117-83, taking a 2-1 lead. Kawhi (21 points, 11 rebounds), Harden (20 points, nine assists), and Norman Powell (20 points) were cooking, and the Clippers drained 18 of 39 threes. Denver, on the other hand, looked lost, shooting 7-for-26 from deep and getting outscored 31-6 in bench points. Jokić had another triple-double (23 points, 13 rebounds, 13 assists), but you could see he was gassed.
The drama here wasn’t refs it was Denver’s no-show. Fans on X were ruthless, clowning the Nuggets’ bench and even joking about the horse head props Clippers fans waved to mess with Jokić. Coach Adelman said the props didn’t faze them, but the scoreboard told a different story. The Athletic pointed out how Tyronn Lue’s game plan exposed Denver’s thin roster, doubling Jokić and shutting down Jamal Murray. It was a wake-up call, and Denver looked shook.
Game 4: Aaron Gordon’s Ejection and a Buzzer-Beater for the Ages
Game 4 on April 26 was when things went full soap opera. Denver won 101-99 on Aaron Gordon’s insane putback dunk at the buzzer, tying the series 2-2. That dunk? Pure pandemonium. NBA.com called it a moment that’ll live forever in playoff history. But the game was stolen by two huge controversies: Gordon’s ejection and some seriously questionable officiating.
Mid-game, Gordon got tossed after a heated moment with a Clipper nobody’s 100% sure what happened, but X was on fire.
@LawMurrayTheNU
said it “might’ve changed the series,” while
@BrianJMather
swore Gordon didn’t throw punches and the refs overreacted. Losing Gordon hurt, but Denver fought back from 20 points down, with Jokić and Murray refusing to quit.
Then came the final play. Gordon’s dunk was reviewed forever, with refs checking if it beat the buzzer. It counted, but Clippers fans on X were livid, screaming about ref bias and even claiming the NBA wanted Denver to win for ratings. No proof of that, but the ejection and the tight call had everyone picking sides. It was chaos, and it made the series feel bigger than basketball.
What It All Means
Heading into Game 5 on April 29, the series was a toss-up, but the drama left scars. For Denver, Gordon’s ejection and that Game 3 blowout exposed their weaknesses. They leaned too hard on Jokić and Murray, and their bench was nowhere to be found. Adelman’s coaching was under fire, especially after Lue outsmarted him in Game 3. The Athletic’s Tony Jones said it plain: Denver’s roster isn’t deep enough, and it showed.
The Clippers, meanwhile, proved they’re legit. Kawhi’s back to being a superstar, and their defense is suffocating. But those Game 1 turnovers? Gotta clean that up. Lue’s been a wizard, but fans are still salty about the refs, with some on X convinced the league’s got it out for LA. Again, no evidence, but playoff emotions run deep.
The ref stuff is the bigger issue. Games 2 and 4 showed how one call or non-call can flip a game and spark a firestorm. The NBA’s replay reviews are supposed to help, but when fans feel like calls are random, trust takes a hit. Maybe the league needs to be clearer about how refs make decisions to cool things down.
Fans and Media Go Wild
This series was the talk of the NBA. On X, fans were either hyping the intensity or raging about refs.
@YSX_girlfriend
’s post about Game 2’s free-throw gap had Clippers fans nodding, while
@BrianJMather
’s defense of Gordon’s ejection got Nuggets fans hyped. Outlets like The Athletic and NBA.com kept it real, breaking down X’s and O’s but also admitting the series was getting chippy. Everyone had an opinion, and nobody was holding back.
What’s Next?
Game 5 was looming, and both teams had work to do. Denver needed their bench to step up and their shooters to hit shots. The Clippers had to keep their foot on the gas and avoid those sloppy turnovers. Whoever won, this series was already one for the history books, with enough drama to fill a Netflix doc.
Wrapping It Up
The 2025 Nuggets-Clippers series was everything you love and hate about playoff basketball. You had Kawhi dropping 39, Jokić doing Jokić things, Gordon’s ejection, and that unreal buzzer-beater. But you also had ref controversies and fan meltdowns that made every game feel like a courtroom drama. It’s a reminder that in the playoffs, every play, every call, and every moment hits different. This series wasn’t just a game it was a vibe, and we were all glued to it.
