The series took a turn for the worse for the Denver Nuggets in Game 3, or at least, it seemed that way. Nothing was going the Nuggets' way, while everything was going the way the Clippers wanted it to. LA cruised to a 117-83 win to take a 2-1 series lead, snatching home-court advantage from Denver.
Michael Porter Jr. played through a shoulder injury that he sustained in Game 2. If it weren't the playoffs, odds are he wouldn't have played. The Nuggets faced another injury in Game 3 when Russell Westbrook left the game with a foot injury in the second quarter, which had occurred during warmups. He finished with three points in nine minutes, leading all scorers off the bench, summing up the night for Denver.
Westbrook didn't play in Game 4 on Saturday, which ended in epic fashion. Aaron Gordon threw down a game-winning dunk off a Nikola Jokic airball that turned out to be the perfect pass. The Nuggets won, 101-99, to tie the series at 2-2 before returning to Ball Arena.
Denver scored a combined four points off the bench in the win, with two points each from Peyton Watson and DeAndre Jordan. The Nuggets need more from their second unit to take a 3-2 lead with a Game 5 win. Having Westbrook's energy would help with that, even though Denver is undefeated in the games he hasn't played this season.
Russell Westbrook's status uncertain ahead of Nuggets-Clippers Game 5
David Adelman was asked about Westbrook's status on Monday. The interim head coach said Westbrook went through a "light practice" that he referred to as a "mental walkthrough." Adelman ended by saying that the Nuggets will have a better idea about Westbrook's status closer to gametime.
Denver will release its injury report by 5 p.m. MT on Monday. Based on what Adelman said, it sounds like Westbrook could be listed as questionable. Hopefully, having four days off helped reduce inflammation in his foot. It's an injury that the Nuggets have to treat carefully, which is why Adelman couldn't have a concrete update. There are still about 32 hours left until tip-off.
The Nuggets proved they could win without Westbrook in Game 4, but it took a perfectly timed and unplanned Gordon dunk for Denver to get the victory. It may be wishful thinking to hope for the Nuggets to have the same Westbrook who helped Denver secure the overtime win in Game 1, but hopefully, if he plays, his impact will be felt for all the right reasons (please). The Nuggets will need it.