In Game 3 of the playoffs, the Denver Nuggets struggled against the Los Angeles Clippers, suffering a hefty 117-83 loss. This game was special as it was the first playoff game held at the Clippers’ new Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, and the crowd was really into it.

Right from the start, the energy in the arena was high. The Clippers fans were thunderous and supportive, which helped their team jump out to a quick 23-2 lead, which let them take control early. By halftime, they were up 65-47, taking advantage of Denver’s turnovers and missed defensive assignments.

Offensively, the Nuggets had their struggles, even with Nikola Jokić putting up a solid triple-double having 23 points, 13 rebounds, and 13 assists. Jamal Murray scored 23 points, but as a team, they only shot 40.3% from the field and just 26.9% from beyond the arc, and they were held to 83 points. The Clippers, on the other hand, were more efficient, hitting 48.2% of their shots and nailing 18 three-pointers out of 39 attempts.

Part of Denver’s offensive woes came from key rotation players not delivering. Christian Braun had a tough game, scoring only 9 points in 38 minutes and not making much of a difference on either end. Michael Porter Jr. wasn’t much better, with just 7 points in 35 minutes 1/6 in 3-point shooting. Peyton Watson was bullied all game, getting silly fouls and had a hard time finding his groove against the Clippers’ defence, only scoring 2 points. Russell Westbrook also did not have a good game in his return back to Las Angeles as he had 3 points in 9 minutes, which even for his little playing time is just not good enough. These underperformances from the Nuggets key players are allowing L.A. to focus more on Jokić and Murray without much concern for other scoring threats.

On defence, there were even more struggles tonight as the Nuggets had no answer to stopping the Clippers’ attack, leaving wide-open 3’s and continuing to let Kris Dunn catch rhythm when we were up for the little parts of this game. As per usual it was Kawhi Leonard who led the way for the Clippers with 21 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists. James Harden chipped in 20 points, scoring in the first half with nine assists and six rebounds. Norman Powell and Ivica Zubac contributed 20 and 19 points respectively.

Looking ahead, this loss puts the Nuggets in a tough spot as they gear up for Game 4. The Nuggets looked rattled and never fully recovered, from the Clipper’s run. With the Clippers now leading the series 2-1, Game 4 becomes critical. Denver needs to regroup quickly and find a way to split the series in L.A. before heading back to the Mile High City.

The Nuggets also need to make some changes to fix their offensive issues and defensive lapses if they want to even the series and get back on track, or else the Nuggets will continue slipping and become a first-round exit.