There's a reason top-seeded teams like the Thunder are often more prepared to make deep runs in NBA history: they're getting a lot of cumulative rest over the course of the playoffs. Meanwhile, all the teams in the middle (like Denver and L.A.) wear themselves out before they really get the ball rolling.

The Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Clippers are meeting in one of the most intriguing matchups in the first round of the 2025 NBA playoffs. The first two games lived up to the hype with the Nuggets taking Game 1 in overtime and the Clippers pulling out Game 2 in a thriller to send the series back to Los Angeles tied at 1-1.

Leonard scores 39 points on 15-of-19 shooting and the Clippers survive a triple-double from Nuggets star Nikola Jokic for a 105-102 win in Denver. Game 3 is Thursday night at the Intuit Dome.