Aaron Gordon’s Judicious Jam at Buzzer Shocks Clippers

With the score tied at 99 and seconds to go, Denver Nugget superstar Nikola Jokic held the ball halfway between the 3-point arc and the midcourt line. Jokic took two dribbles to the left, spun to his right, took a dribble with left hand, took a step and picked the ball up and heaved it from the left wing over a contesting Ivica Zubac and Kawhi Leonard. 

Jokic’s shot, if it went down, would have gone down in history as one of the greatest and most improbable clutch shots. Instead, that improbable clutchness came the way of Aaron Gordon. 

As Jokic’s shot ran long and lofted over the net, Gordon, coming from the left side, perfectly timed his jump and his contact with the ball, slamming the ball through at just the right time to prevent the ball from still being in his hands as the backboard’s red light illuminated to signal the end of the game. 

After a long review, referee Zach Zarba deemed the basket good. In jubilation, the Nuggets celebrated. Stunned, the Clippers could not believe it. Leonard cracked a smile as if to say “really?”

The Clippers had battled all the way back - from taking a 50-48 lead into the break to trailing 87-65 (85-65 after three quarters) to leading 97-96 with 1:11 remaining on a Bogdan Bogdanovic conversion - just to end up losing in such numbing fashion. 

Leonard scored 10 fourth quarter points and Norman Powell 9 (all of Powell’s were courtesy of the trifecta), while Jokic scored just 5 in the final frame, the last of which was the most important, a free-throw that bounced off the rim and ascended in the air before dropping. 

Jokic finished with another one of his stat lines that video games have trouble producing - 14-for-25 from the field, 3-for-6 from 3-point range, 5-for-6 from the line, 36 points, 21 rebounds, 8 assists. Michael Porter Jr. (4-for-7 from deep) and Christian Braun (8-for-19) both scored 17 points, while Gordon finished 5-for-9 for 14 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists. Jokic, Gordon, and Braun gutted through 43 minutes. Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray 42. 

Powell was 7-for-13 (4-for-8 from deep) for 22 points in 36 minutes. Leonard led the Clippers with 24 points (9 rebounds, 2 steals) on 10-for-22 (2-for-5 from downtown) in 40 minutes. James Harden (15 points, 11 assists, 5-for-11) played 43 minutes. Ivica Zubac, whose timely tip in with eight seconds remaining tied the game, was 9-for-14 in 41 minutes for a stellar 19 points, 12 rebounds, and 6 assists. 

The Nuggets shot 46.0% to the Clippers 44.3%, while making 10-of-29 triples. The Clippers also made 10 and attempted 30. Both teams ironically were 11-for-16 from the free-throw line. The Nuggets held a 47-43 rebounding advantage. Turnovers were 9 to 12 in favor of the Clippers. 

The Oklahoma CIty Thunder are the first team to punch a second-round ticket, defeating a competitive Memphis Grizzlies’ squad once again 117-115. 

The Grizzlies remarkably made 29-of-30 free-throws, while shooting 46.3% from the field and 12-for-31 from downtown. To their advantage was a dominant 51-33 difference on the boards, but they turned the ball over 21 times to the Thunder’s eight. Scotty Pippen Jr. (37 minutes, 9-for-21, 10-for-10 from the line) led the Grizzlies with 30 points, 11 rebounds, and had 4 assists. Santi Aldama scored 23 points with 9 rebounds (5-for-7 from deep) in a starting role. Jaren Jackson Jr. missed nine of his 12 attempts and had 12 points, while Desmond Bane scored 23 points but took 20 shots (7 makes) to get his 23. 

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was 13-for-24 and 11-for-13 from the line for 38 points, 6 assists, and 5 rebounds, while Jalen Williams registered 23 points, 5 assists, and 4 rebounds on 10-for-21 shooting. Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein, and Isaiah Joe each scored 11 points, with Holmgren adding 4 blocks, Hartenstein 12 rebounds and 4 steals, and Joe doing so in 14 minutes off the bench on three made triples out of six attempts. 

The Grizzlies were playing the game without Ja Morant, which gave Aldama heavy minutes as the only player in the game to play 40 minutes.

At different points in the regular season, the Grizzlies were as high as No. 2 in the Western Conference, but their curious dismissal of head coach Taylor Jenkins with nine games remaining in the regular season will be the mark of their 2024-25 campaign. Morant has had injury and suspension issues, but when he is on is as dynamic athletically as any player. A positive for the Grizzlies is that Pippen Jr. looks like a cornerstone going forward.

The Golden State Warriors started slow without Jimmy Butler at Chase Center, but Stephen Curry eventually took off for a game-high 36 points (12-for-23, 5-for-13 from downtown, 7-for-8 from the line), adding a game-high 9 assists in 41 minutes. Buddy Hield and Gary Payton Jr. were terrific off the bench with 17 and 16 points. The Warriors had 42 bench points from their reserves, with the Rockets producing 28 bench points led by Jabari Smith Jr.’s 12. 

The Rockets limited the Warriors to 43.3% shooting, but themselves managed only 39.5%, with Fred VanVleet making 5-of-14 (17 points), Amen Thompson making 5-of-16 (11 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists), and Alperen Sengun 7-of-18 (15 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists). Jalen Green was only 4-for-11 for 9 points after scoring 38 points in Game 2. The Rockets finished the game with a 51-45 rebounding advantage but committed 14 turnovers to the Warriors’ 10. 

The Warriors turned up their defense in the second half, allowing 44 Rocket points while scoring 58. The win was a pivotal one, as you would surmise that the Rockets would have won this game as the Warriors were playing without Jimmy Butler. But the Warriors other talent stepped up when it needed to. 

The Cleveland Cavaliers are one game away from the second round thanks to a 124-87 win over the Miami Heat. Jarrett Allen (8-for-9) led the way with 22 points and 10 rebounds while De’Andre Hunter was 6-for-8 off the bench (3-for-5 from deep) for 21 points. Evan Mobley scored 19, Max Strus 18, and Donovan Mitchell 13. Mitchell made only four of his 14 attempts. 

The Heat shot just 42.1% in comparison to the Cavaliers’ 53.5%, with Bam Adebayo’s 22 points and 9 rebounds leading. Davion Mitchell was 7-for-11 for 16 points, and Tyler Herro missed eight of his 13 attempts and finished with 13 points. The Heat were outrebounded 46-29 and committed 16 turnovers to the Cavaliers’ nine. After the game, Tyler Herro said that the Heat were not going to lose the series 4-0. 

Game 4 is Monday at 7:30 p.m. on TNT.