The Nuggets-Clippers Rivalry: Denver's Symphony vs. LA's Star-Fueled Fire

February 20, 2026

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Game 7: The Echoes of the Bubble

The air in Ball Arena hung thick with tension, the kind that only a do-or-die playoff game can summon. It was May 3, 2025, Game 7 of the Western Conference First Round, Nuggets leading the Clippers 3-2 after Jamal Murray's 43-point explosion in Game 5. Nikola Jokic floated a pass through traffic to Aaron Gordon for a corner three, the ball swishing clean to push Denver ahead by 12 late in the fourth. Across the court, Kawhi Leonard stalked the baseline, his eyes locked on Jokic like a predator sizing up wounded prey, but Ivica Zubac's physicality had worn the Joker down to 22 points on inefficient shooting. The Clippers clawed back with a 35-point quarter, but Denver's half-court discipline held, sealing a 120-101 victory and advancing.

That night wasn't just a win; it was the latest chapter in a rivalry that's become the NBA's premier chess match—Denver's symphony of continuity against LA's star-fueled urgency, where every possession feels like a referendum on franchise souls.

This matchup matters because it's the West's microcosm: Jokic's gravitational force versus Leonard's robotic efficiency, Murray's bubble-born fire against Paul George's streaky brilliance, all under the shadow of Denver's 2023 title and the Clippers' endless quest for validation in Lakers' town. Since that 2020 Bubble series—where the Nuggets became the only team ever to rally from two 3-1 deficits in one postseason—these games have defined playoff positioning, testing resilience in a conference where one slip means summer vacation.

Roots in Relocation and Resilience

The Nuggets trace back to 1967 as the Denver Rockets in the ABA, morphing into Nuggets by 1974 amid a merger push. They thrived in the high-scoring ABA, reaching the 1976 Finals before folding into the NBA, where Doug Moe's run-and-gun offense lit up the 1980s with Alex English's scoring titles and 126.5 points per game in 1981-82, the league record. Yet championships eluded them until Jokic's arrival flipped the script—drafted 41st in 2014, he led them to the 2023 title over Miami, their first in franchise history.

The Clippers' path is a saga of survival. Born as the Buffalo Braves in 1970, they hit playoffs thrice with Bob McAdoo before relocating to San Diego in 1978, then controversially to LA in 1984 under Donald Sterling amid lawsuits and fines. Decades of dysfunction followed—the "Clipper Triangle" of cursed injuries in the 1980s, perennial lottery fodder until Lob City in the 2010s with Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan. Even then, no conference finals until 2021. Now in the Intuit Dome since 2024, they're still the shadow franchise in LA, chasing that elusive ring.

Their head-to-head ledger tilts Nuggets' way: 119-97 all-time, including 6-5 in 2024-25 across regular season and playoffs. But the 2020 Bubble Semifinals reshaped both. Down 3-1, Jokic's 34-14-7 in Game 6 forced Game 7; Murray's heroics sealed it 111-98, exposing Clippers' collapse under pressure. That series birthed Denver's belief—they repeated the feat against Utah—and haunted LA, fueling roster tweaks but no deep runs.