Denver’s first win against Utah was as exciting as the fact that they needed seven games to escape the early stages of the post – season should be an indication that they will be struggling to score more. It was played on Thursday in Game 1 of their second series. 120-97, Clippers nuggets completely exploded.

Poet Leonard made it easy when he went for 29 points. He could have reached the 40s or 50s, but the Clippers don’t need to bother their superstar with such a mismatch. Denver could have a fight against Los Angeles later in the series, but the New Gates are still reeling from a Game 7 win over the Jazz. The Clippers, who have played once in the last eight days, were the newest and most athletic team. This is shown in Game 1. The Newgates need a response within the time frame for Game 2 on Saturday.

The poet has no answer for Newgate

This does not mean that Newgate does not have good defenders. Jeremy Grant, Tori Craig and Gary Harris also fit in well with Leonard on paper. The game tape told another story. Leonard’s raw totals do him no justice. If he wants to score 50 runs in this game, he can easily score. In this game he got to his position very easily and shot 75 percent off the field. No one is going to keep Leonard completely off the board, but opponents need to work for his points.

Denver could not, which now speaks to the weakness of their team defense. The nugget has no rim-protection, because Nicola Jockey, though far from the limit, is always a better hedge and show defender than a real centerpiece at that end of the floor. Denver’s help side defense was laughable, and if the poet had played for assists, he would have double-doubled. Cow Leonard is not an existing man job. Denver failed as a team in Game 1, and without a clear arrangement, they are likely to engage in a number of similar performances before the end of the series.

Jamal Murray is not healthy

Jamal Murray’s UnderHelming Game 7 statistics could have been written off as a fluke. He was tired and bad shooting nights happen. His inability to make room in Game 1 against the Clippers, especially with the injured Patrick Beverly defending him all night, was one of the biggest reasons Denver struggled to score. His 5-of-15 shooting night alone will not suffice against an opponent.

In principle, Murray should be able to find shots against the Clippers as the Dallas Guards did. While Beverly made it harder, Mavericks chased the Clipper defenders through the switches to get their points. Easy marks are Lou Williams, Reggie Jackson and Laundry Shamet. Murray could not take advantage of the fact that his persistent injury will continue to be an issue in the series.

So much for the Michael Porter Jr. experiment

Denver can live with the defense of Michael Porter Jr. in the seeding games, close to 30 points per night. Their patience waned in the first round as his offense returned to Earth. He lost his starting slot in Game 4 and played only 17 minutes in Game 7. Game 1 against the Clippers was his worst season performance so far.

Porter scored 2 -9 on the field, and all of his points were out of the game. Clippers chased him relentlessly on the pick and roll switches, giving him resistance. Porter is a rookie. All he does in the first play-off run is be, not end all. But if he doesn’t start scoring on the clip that made him an all-seeding games player, he shouldn’t be on the field in this series. He has no use for defense.