Stars step up to extend season, Clippers force Game 7

Don't shovel dirt on them just yet.

(Photo credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images)

INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- It’s fitting that a series which had been so highly touted before it even began is now heading toward the two best words in sports: Game 7.

The LA Clippers, backs firmly welded to the wall, staved off elimination on Thursday night with a 111-105 victory over the Denver Nuggets in Game 6.

“Game 7’s going to be tough. But we’re ready for the challenge,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said after his team deadlocked their best-of-seven first-round series at 3-3 to set up a winner-take-all showdown on Saturday in the Mile High City.

It was Lue who played the most impactful card of the night, opting to start Nicolas Batum in the second half in place of Kris Dunn, allowing the Clippers, and specifically guard James Harden, to operate with a spread floor and reap the reward of a better-balanced offensive ecosystem.

“I thought he did a good job of attacking one-on-one,” Lue said of Harden, who finished with a game-high 28 points as well as 8 assists and 6 rebounds in 47 minutes. “Our spacing was really good tonight, and he was able to get to the paint and get to the basket. Just talked about opening it up for him and allowing him to play one-on-one and get to his spots.”