Westbrook fuels Nuggets' comeback to edge Clippers 112-110 in OT in teams' NBA playoff opener

DENVER (AP) — Russell Westbrook, whose late-game follies hung over the Denver Nuggets as they navigated the stunning dismissals of coach Michael Malone and GM Calvin Booth on the eve of the playoffs, came up clutch against his former team in crunch time Saturday.

“That's who he is,” Nikola Jokic said after watching Westbrook hit an uncontested corner 3-pointer to give Denver a two-point lead late in regulation and then knocking the inbounds pass away from — and off of — James Harden with 9.6 seconds left in overtime to help seal Denver's 112-110 win over the Los Angeles Clippers.

“I just know that (inbounds) play,” from being there the previous two seasons, Westbrook said.

Westbrook had plenty to do with L.A.'s whopping 20 turnovers, including an uncharacteristic seven from Kawhi Leonard.

“Russ is Russ,” interim coach David Adelman said after improving to 4-0. “Defensively, he's absolutely incredible. He was playing free safety out there. I thought a lot of the reasons why the turnovers happened, even if it wasn't him forcing it, (was) just the way he was roaming around and impacting the game.

“And then offensively ... he attacked," Adelman said. “We maybe could have pulled it out and executed. But that's what Russ does. I don't think he's going to change after 17 years. If he sees somebody in front of him 1-on-1, he's going to attack. And then he made an enormous 3.”

Jokic scored 29 points and finished one rebound shy of a triple-double. Aaron Gordon added 25 points and Jamal Murray 21 as the Nuggets overcame a 15-point first-half deficit to power past the hottest team entering the playoffs.

The No. 5 seed Clippers' loss was their first since March 30 at Cleveland. They rolled into the playoffs having won 18 of 21, including their last eight.

“If you turn over 20 times against the team that is No. 1 in offensive transition, then you’re gonna lose the game,” lamented Clippers coach Tyronn Lue.

Harden led the Clippers with 32 points. Leonard added 22 and Ivica Zubac had 21.

Leonard shrugged off the loss, saying the team’s mood was “still good. Just Game 1. You know, Denver’s a good team, especially at home. Still got Game 2.”

That’s Monday night at Ball Arena.

Adelman said the key to the late comeback was actually when Denver closed the second quarter on a 13-2 run to pull to 53-49 at halftime.

“It felt like one of those games where you’re just slowly crawling uphill,” Adelman said.

And Westbrook was leading the way, coming up big despite missing 12 of 17 shots overall.

“A lot of people put a lot of emphasis on missing so many shots,” Westbrook said. “But in the playoffs, all you need to do is just win the game. I don't give a damn about how many shots you miss, make. Just make winning basketball plays defensively, offensively.”

And he did just that.

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Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, front left, dunks while Denver Nuggets forwards Peyton Watson, back left, and Michael Porter Jr. defend in the second half of Game 1 of an NBA first-round playoff series Saturday, April 19, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Los Angeles Clippers guard James Harden, right, argues after being called for a foul by referee Mark Lindsay, left, in overtime of Game 1 of an NBA first-round playoff series against the Denver Nuggets, Saturday, April 19, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon, left, looks to pass the ball as Los Angeles Clippers guard Norman Powell, right, defends in overtime of Game 1 of an NBA first-round playoff series Saturday, April 19, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, left, confers with guard Jamal Murray, right, in the second half of Game 1 of an NBA first-round playoff series against the Los Angeles Clippers, Saturday, April 19, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Denver Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook, right, looks to pass the ball as Los Angeles Clippers guard James Harden, left, defends in the second half of Game 1 of an NBA first-round playoff series Saturday, April 19, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon, left, looks to pass the ball as Los Angeles Clippers guard James Harden defends in the first half of Game 1 of an NBA first-round playoff series Saturday, April 19, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray, left, drives past Los Angeles Clippers guard James Harden in the first half of Game 1 of an NBA first-round playoff series Saturday, April 19, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Los Angeles Clippers center Ivica Zubac, right, looks to pass the ball as Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, left, defends in the first half of Game 1 of an NBA first-round playoff series Saturday, April 19, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon, left, looks to pass the ball as Los Angeles Clippers guard James Harden, right, defends in the first half of Game 1 of an NBA first-round playoff series Saturday, April 19, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Known for their shot volume of putting the puck on net from just about every angle, the Carolina Hurricanes moved on to the Eastern Conference final by keeping the Washington Capitals from doing anything of the sort.

The Hurricanes eliminated the Capitals in five games with a tight-checking defensive effort that was a masterclass of the kind of hockey coach Rod Brind'Amour wants his team to play. They limited their second-round opponent to under 20 shots a night, including seven or fewer in 11 of the 15 regulation periods in the series.

“We’re a lot of just on top of guys," captain Jordan Staal said Thursday night after winning 3-1 to advance. “We just kind of give them the least amount of room and make them turn the puck over so we have the puck, and then when we have the puck, we try to move it as quick as we can into their end and grind them out.”

Carolina grinded through to a second East final appearance in three years in a total of 10 games. That certainly won't hurt 35-year-old goaltender Frederik Andersen, 40-year-old hulking defenseman Brent Burns or any players who might be nursing some bumps and bruises, such as Jalen Chatfield, who missed Game 5 with an undisclosed injury.

“Obviously, guys are getting banged up this time of year," defenseman Sean Walker said. "It’s a hard game, so rest definitely isn’t a bad thing.”

Brind'Amour hockey is a hard game in itself, requiring aggressive pressure without the puck to get it back. The captain when Carolina won the Stanley Cup in 2006, he is glad to get that kind of effort from a seasoned bunch willing to sacrifice and skate the extra few inches to take them away form the other team.

“What allows us to do that, I just think, is a high compete level,” Brind'Amour said. “That’s really all I can say about this group is just I’m proud of how they prepare and how much they play for each other.”

The praise was effusive from Capitals counterpart Spencer Carbery, who pointed to the shot totals as evidence of how dominant the Hurricanes were. Aliaksei Protas, a 30-goal scorer and Connor McMichael a 26-goal-scorer during the regular season, had three shots apiece.

Washington put nearly 27 shots on net during the regular season when it was the top team in the East. Same thing in the first round, beating Montreal in five games.

Facing Carolina is an entirely different animal.

“It is a great learning experience to feel what that just felt like because it was suffocating and guys had no space, could barely get shots off in that series,” Carbery said. “They are just relentless with their pressure and their ability to break plays up with their sticks. There’s no team in the league like it."

That's taking nothing away from Andersen, who allowed six goals on 95 shots in the series and made big saves when needed. But the Hurricanes also limited the quality scoring chances he had to face.

“The guys did a hell of a job,” Andersen said. “They support unbelievably hard with our game plan in mind as much as possible. I think that’s our game plan every night: to make it hard on the opponent to get anything going in our end.”

It's a game plan that has served the Hurricanes well making the playoffs in each of Brind'Amour's seven seasons behind the bench. But the difficulty level gets ratcheted up from here, potentially against defending champion Florida next, and Walker believes he and his teammates will maintain the same mindset that has made them successful.

“It’s just kind of the buy in, top down: the four lines, the three D-pairs, we’re all playing the same system and that’s a really suffocating game," Walker said. "We want to play in the O zone as much as we can, and when you’re doing that, you’re going to limit the amount of shots they have. I think we did that really well all series, and that’s going to be something that’s really important for us going forward.”

AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen (31) stops the puck in the third period of Game 5 of a second-round NHL hockey playoff series against the Washington Capitals Thursday, May 15, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin, left, and Carolina Hurricanes right wing Andrei Svechnikov, right, greet each other after Game 5 of a second-round NHL hockey playoff series Thursday, May 15, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen, right, celebrates with defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere (4) and defenseman Sean Walker (26) after Game 5 of a second-round NHL hockey playoff series against the Washington Capitals Thursday, May 15, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)