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NBA: No-quit Nuggets oust Clippers in upset, face Lakers in West finals

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<h3>Kawhi, stacked Clippers collapse </h3>Meet the NBA&#x27;s comeback kings.Jamal Murray scored 40 points, and Nikola Jokic tallied a monster triple-double, as the Denver Nuggets lived up to their never-say-die reputation to upset the Los Angeles Clippers 104-89 on Tuesday (US time) for a stunning 7-game series win in the Western Conference semifinals. Jokic stuffed the stat sheet with 16 points, 22 rebounds, 13 assists, 2 steals and 3 blocks for Denver, which, like it did in the first round against Utah, <a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/09/10/20/nba-clippers-pull-away-put-nuggets-on-brink-of-elimination">came back</a> from another 1-3 deficit to survive. No team had accomplished that feat in back-to-back series before Denver.This time, the prize is much bigger -- a date with LeBron James and the West top seed <a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/09/13/20/watch-lakers-back-in-west-finals-after-routing-rockets">Los Angeles Lakers</a> for a spot in the 2020 NBA Finals. &quot;Nobody wants us here,&quot; insisted Jokic.&quot;Next is Lakers, another tough opponent,&quot; he added. &quot;But we are going to be out there having fun. It is simple for us, effort and energy.&quot;Murray issued a warning for people who think the Lakers&#x27; juggernaut is going to steamroller them.&quot;They got to worry about us, too,&quot; he said.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/09/13/20/nba-lakers-overwhelm-rockets-advance-to-conference-finals">NBA: Lakers overwhelm Rockets, advance to conference finals</a></li></ul><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/k_pAMS_SBLg?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/09/16/20/nba-heat-edge-celtics-in-thriller-to-take-east-finals-opener">NBA: Heat edge Celtics in thriller to take East finals opener</a></li></ul>The Clippers had been hyped as title contenders and a Western showdown with city rivals the Lakers had appeared a foregone conclusion. But Kawhi Leonard and crew ran into a hungrier, more disciplined Denver team centered around superstar big man Jokic, as the Clippers&#x27; dreams of reaching a first conference finals remained just that.Denver trailed by as many as 12 points in the first half and was behind 61-54 early in the third quarter, when the Nuggets launched a 28-13 run to go up 82-74 heading into the fourth. The Clippers, who lost <a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/09/14/20/nba-nuggets-send-west-series-to-do-or-die-as-clippers-collapse">Game 5 and 6</a> even though they led substantively in the fourth, never recovered. They went without a field goal for more than 7 minutes to start the fourth quarter, and when JaMychal Green made a dunk to stop the drought it was clear the Clippers didn&#x27;t have any fight left in them. In all, Los Angeles scored just 33 points in the second half. Montrezl Harrell, the league&#x27;s Sixth Man of the Year recipient, finished with 20 points to lead the Clippers, who saw superstars Leonard and Paul George struggle to shoot. Leonard was just 6 of 22 from the floor for a playoffs-low 14 points, while George shot 4 of 16, including 2 of 11 from 3-point territory, for 10 points. -- With a report from Agence France-Presse

The Denver Nuggets lived up to their never-say-die reputation to upset the Los Angeles Clippers, 104-89, in Game 7 of their Western Conference semifinals series.

The Denver Nuggets lived up to their never-say-die reputation to upset the Los Angeles Clippers, 104-89, in Game 7 of their Western Conference semifinals series.