Just when you count the Denver Nuggets out, they find a way.
They’re the real-life version of the BeeGees song “Stayin’ Alive.”
In the 2020 NBA playoffs, the Nuggets already made history by becoming the 12th team to come back from a 3-1 deficit (against the Utah Jazz) and winning the series.
Now Mile High Basketball is on the verge of doing it again. This time against the favorite to win the series and NBA finals, the Los Angeles Clippers.
Denver once again trailed the series 3-1 but have somehow managed to stay alive.
#MileHighBasketball does it again. @nuggets force another Game 7. 👀🤔🌈 pic.twitter.com/IRztN5LGvS
— Ian St. Clair (@IanStClair) September 13, 2020
Game 7 is set for 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando.
As Nuggets coach Michael Malone told the media after Sunday’s Game 6 111-98 win:
“I’m running out of adjectives, superlatives, whatever you want to call it, to speak on our team because that is a tough, resilient group. I love our team. I love our toughness.”
What makes this version of the 3-1 comeback more impressive is Denver trailed in both games 5 and 6 by at least 16 points in the third quarter.
So not only were the Nuggets in win-or-go-home mode, they were in a serious hole. Yet, for some reason, when their backs are against the wall, they fight back.
Denver is now 5-0 in elimination games in the 2020 NBA playoffs.
Nuggets vs Clippers odds
To the surprise of no one, Denver is a huge underdog for Game 7.
The consensus from the top sports betting apps is at least +7.5 (as of Tuesday morning).
At this point, the Nuggets wouldn’t have it any other way.
How rare is this?
In a word: extremely.
Since it’s 2020, it’s also fitting.
According to ESPN Stats and Info:
- First team in NBA history to play a Game 7 in four straight series.
- First team since play-by-play began (1997) with three 15-point comebacks facing elimination in a postseason.
- Fifth team to win five elimination games in a single postseason.
Can the Nuggets win another Game 7 after trailing in a series 3-1?
Enter Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray, who have led the way the last two games.
Murray guided the team in the Game 5 111-105 win with his team-high 26 points.
It was all about Jokić in Game 6 when he finished with 34 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists.
This is just the beginning. #MileHighBasketball pic.twitter.com/Wk5m67e8wV
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) September 14, 2020
The Nuggets will need both superstars to have even bigger contributions in Game 7.
“(Sunday), Nikola Jokić was the best player in the world,” Michael Porter Jr. said after the game.
It wouldn’t hurt to have contributions from the likes of guard Gary Harris and Porter Jr. That’s even truer for the latter.
As far as Denver goes, Porter Jr. will be the X-factor. The Nuggets forward adds the third scoring option that makes defending this team even harder. With how good the Clippers are defensively, and how intense they will be for this Game 7, Denver will need all the scoring it can get.
Can the Nuggets advance?
The focus of the sports betting world in Colorado is obviously on the Denver Broncos and their opener with the Tennessee Titans.
The focus on Tuesday should and will return to the Nuggets.
As noted earlier, with the odds, Mile High Basketball is being counted out yet again.
This is when Denver seems to find a way.
Bet against the Nuggets at your own peril.
Keep doubting us.
We'll just continue to keep fighting. #MileHighBasketball pic.twitter.com/2FO4215BaT
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) September 14, 2020
