The Los Angeles Clippers entered Game 4 riding high and seeking a commanding 3-1 lead in the first round of the 2025 NBA playoffs, but the Denver Nuggets managed to regroup to tie the series at two. Nikola Jokic led a second-half Denver surge, which saw the Nuggets build a 22-point lead in the third quarter of play. But the Clippers roared back and even briefly held a lead in the fourth quarter. The Nuggets avoided overtime when Aaron Gordon tipped in the game-winner at the buzzer. Jokic finished with 36 points, 21 rebounds and eight assists.

After every game, Aaron Gordon spends 20 minutes at his locker icing a right calf injury that has hindered him all season. For one of the NBA's highest fliers, it has been a painful, frustrating nuisance. He cannot jump as high as he used to. His elite athleticism has been affected. But Saturday evening, Gordon jumped just high enough to catch and dunk one of the most important shots of the year -- the first buzzer-beating, game-winning dunk in playoff history -- to help the Denver Nuggets beat the LA Clippers 101-99 in Game 4 of their Western Conference first-round series at Intuit Dome. "I'm just trying to clean up everything on the glass," Gordon said afterward.

Jokic had 36 points, 21 rebounds and eight assists to lead the Nuggets. Michael Porter Jr. and Christian Braun had 17 points apiece. Leonard scored 24 points. Norman Powell added 22 and Zubac had 19 points, 12 rebounds and six assists. The Nuggets split their two games at the new Intuit Dome. Game 5 is Monday in Denver. “This is going to be a dogfight every single game,” Powell said. A skirmish between the teams near the end of the first half resulted in six technical fouls, including on Jokic. The Clippers led for the first time in the game at 97-96 on Bogdan Bogdanovic’s offensive rebound and basket with 1:11 remaining.