Inglewood, California - Los Angeles faced Game 6 at home on Thursday for two reasons. First, Denver’s defense dropped James Harden out of the series (his shot attempts were reduced, from 22 in the opener to nine in the fifth). Second, the Clippers’ defense became dull throughout the series, especially in Game 5.

Los Angeles will compete in Game 7 on Saturday as it clears both issues.

Harden appears in attack mode, downhill, forcing the Nuggets to spin, scoring 21 points in the first half and making a smart pass. The Clippers opened the floor and other scorers by running more defenders/defense catches (to keep him away from him) and using more Nicolas Batum to keep the floor spaced.

"I think James did a great job of setting the tone early, scoring, going downhill, doing the right game," Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. "Norman ended up getting some big shots and Kawhi stayed steady throughout the game. But I think these three guys really stepped up, come on."

With Batum's help, the Clippers, led by Ivica Zubac, also had a relative check on Nikola Jokic and as the game progressed, he wore him - the three-time MVP scored five points on 2 of 9 shots in the second half.

All of this saw the Clippers win Game 7 in Denver on Saturday with a 111-105 victory.

If you think of the nightmare for Nuggets fans after losing Game 6 on the road, it was because it was played a year ago. Denver led Minnesota to 20 minutes in two minutes in the second half, but the Fatigue and the Nuggets beat 60-32 in the remaining half, lost and eliminated.

"I personally don't think about the past," Jokic said of that game. "I think it's a year behind. I think I'm a better player. I think my teammates are better players."

In Game 7, there are no secrets, no strategic surprises left, more about execution. But one more strategy we will see is Batum – he can even start for Kris Dunn (he did it in the second half of Game 6).

"I know why I'm playing: space floor, shooting 3 shots, defense. That's my job."

For Denver, their offense is more balanced: Jokic ended the bench with 25, Jamal Murray 21, Aaron Gordon 19 and Russell Westbrook.

This balance and offense will be tested in Game 7, and under all the pressure, it is difficult to focus and focus on details.

But this pressure makes the game 7S so fun,