Arguably the most exciting first-round matchup so far, the Denver Nuggets and the Los Angeles Clippers will reconvene at the Ball Arena on Wednesday for a crunch Game Five.
With the series level at 2-2, the teams could not be separated after the first four matchups but now have the opportunity to claim the driving seat with a victory here.
Match preview
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The Denver Nuggets got their playoff journey underway with a hard-fought win over the Los Angeles Clippers on April 19, but back-to-back defeats in games two and three left them in a precarious situation.
Having trailed 2-1 in the series heading into Saturday's Game Four, the Nuggets knew a defeat would leave them with a mountain to climb and subsequently rose up to the occasion to restore parity.
David Adelman's men went into the interval with a narrow lead which was extended to 16 in the final knockings of the third quarter, but a late surge from the Clippers tied the game at 99 apiece heading into the final seconds.
With overtime looming, Aaron Gordon rose highest to get on the end of a Nikola Jokic airball and complete a dramatic game-winning dunk right before the buzzer sounded to silence the Intuit Dome.
Dealing with injuries on multiple fronts at the moment, the Nuggets are just about hanging on and will return to their home court aiming to make amends for last week's Game Two defeat in their last home outing.
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After living up to expectations in their first playoff game at their newly opened arena, the Clippers had the opportunity to take a commanding 3-1 advantage in their second home game, which, however, ended in defeat.
Given the manner of Saturday's loss, Tyronn Lue's men will need to immediately pick themselves up with little time to dwell on a disappointing outing as they head to Colorado aiming to secure a huge victory.
Kawhi Leonard and Norman Powell both recorded 20-point games for the second match running last time out, but James Harden was unable to replicate his impressive display from Game Three, where he recorded 20 points, six rebounds and nine assists.
Off the back of his lowest-scoring display of the series with 15 points on 5-11 shooting from the field, Harden will be looking to bounce back here with so much resting on the future Hall of Famer's shoulders.
While Wednesday's visitors have already guaranteed themselves at least one more playoff home outing, they will be eager to head into Friday's Game Six within one win of reaching the Western Conference semi-finals.
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Team News
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DaRon Holmes II remains out of contention with an Achilles problem he sustained back in July and will not feature again for the Denver Nuggets this season.
Michael Porter Jr and Aaron Gordon have been playing through shoulder and groin injuries respectively and both men will be expected to suit up once again.
Russell Westbrook's availability for this one is currently hanging in the balance after the point guard missed his side's last outing due to a foot injury.
Twenty-five-year-old Seth Lundy is unavailable to play any part for the Clippers on Wednesday as he continues his personal battle with a long-term ankle problem.
Kawhi Leonard has scored at least 20 points for the away side in each of his last 19 matches across regular-season and playoff duty, making the forward one to keep an eye on.
Denver Nuggets possible starting five:
Murray, Braun; Porter Jr, Gordon; Jokic
Los Angeles Clippers possible starting five:
Harden, Dunn; Powell, Leonard; Zubac
We say: Clippers to win by 4+ points
The Nuggets have battled hard to keep the series level and will need another big performance to emerge victorious here.
That said, we are backing the Clippers to get the job done here and edge one step closer to the next round.
Adepoju Marvellous
