DENVER (AP) — Nikola Jokic got plenty of help from his teammates and the Denver Nuggets weren’t about to let up when they built a big lead and raced past the Los Angeles Clippers in a 120-101 Game 7 laugher Saturday night.

The No. 4 seed Nuggets, who led by as many as 35 points, advanced to take on the No. 1 seeded Oklahoma City Thunder, which swept Memphis in the first round and has had a week off. The teams split their season series 2-2, with both teams winning one on the road.

The Clippers’ season came to a screeching halt after they’d entered the playoffs as the hottest team in the league, having won 18 of 21.

Jokic had 16 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. Aaron Gordon led Denver with 22 points, Christian Braun had 21, Jamal Murray and Russell Westbrook chipped in 16 each and Michael Porter Jr. scored 15.

Kawhi Leonard led Los Angeles with 22 points but James Harden only scored 7 points on 2-of-8 shooting and Ivica Zubac had his quietest game of the series with 10 points.

Hanging over the Nuggets all season was their Game 7 fiasco in Round 2 last year when they blew a 20-point second-half lead to the Minnesota Timberwolves just when it looked like they were primed to defend the franchise’s first NBA championship.

And after frittering away a 22-point fourth-quarter advantage in Game 4 of this series — only to be saved by the first buzzer-beating dunk in NBA playoff history, courtesy of Gordon — the Nuggets and Ball Arena crowd only grew more energized instead of anxious as the lead kept growing and the Clippers kept missing.

The Nuggets blew this one open with a 17-0 run in the third quarter after Leonard started the second half with a 3-pointer to cut L.A.’s deficit to 58-50.

Los Angeles led 26-21 after one quarter but the Clippers were outscored 72-40 during the second and third quarters to trail 93-66 heading into the fourth quarter.

After picking up his third, fourth and fifth fouls over a 48-second span late in the third, Jokic went to the bench and watched his team continue to roll. He sat the entire fourth quarter.

The Nuggets began celebrating early in the fourth quarter when Westbrook willingly took a technical for hanging on the rim and swinging back and forth after his steal and dunk put Denver up 107-76.

And Denver interim coach David Adelman emptied his bench with a 111-81 lead with 5:23 left. But the Clippers went on a 7-0 run and Adelman sent his starters back in at the 4-minute mark.

The Clippers ended up cutting a 35-point deficit into the teens but Denver’s lead, for a change, was too big to overcome. Their 19-point win was their biggest in a Game 7 in the franchise’s playoff history.

Courtesy of team owner Steve Ballmer, more than 100 Clippers fans were flown to Denver and assembled behind one of the baskets to provide extra noise. It’s an extension of “The Wall,” a section for the group of superfans that packs the Intuit Dome — also behind a basket — for Clippers games in Los Angeles.

The Nuggets had lost four of their previous five closeout games since winning the franchise’s only NBA championship two years ago. The Clippers also were the victims the last time Denver won a Game 7. That came in the conference semifinals in the Florida bubble when the Nuggets overcame a 3-1 series deficit.

Rantanen has hat trick as Stars rally past Avalanche 4-2 in Game 7 to advance to 2nd round

DALLAS (AP) — Mikko Rantanen assisted on Wyatt Johnston’s tiebreaking power-play goal with 3:56 left before completing a third-period hat trick with an empty-netter as the Dallas Stars beat the Colorado Avalanche 4-2 in Game 7 on Saturday night to wrap up the first-round Western Conference playoff series.

Rantanen, who was in the playoffs with Avalanche the past seven seasons and part of their 2022 Stanley Cup title, had his second four-point period in the series. He is only the second player in NHL history to have four points in the third period of a Game 7.

The Stars move on to the second round to face top-seeded Winnipeg or St. Louis, who play their own Game 7 on Sunday night. The Jets would have home ice if they advance, while Dallas would start at home if facing the Blues.

Colorado had taken a 2-0 lead when Nathan MacKinnon made a short snap shot only 31 seconds into the third period. It was the first goal he has scored in five Game 7s, but all of those are losses.

Traded twice in a six-week period earlier this season, Rantanen scored five goals in the series against his former team.

Rantanen got Dallas’ first goal with 12:11 left on a shot from above the middle of circles. He tied the game at 2 with 6:14 left went he skated behind the net and took a wraparound shot that ricocheted off the skate of Avs defenseman Samuel Girard. Rantanen then sealed the win with an empty-netter with 3 seconds remaining.

Matt Chapman's grand slam leads Giants past Rockies 6-3

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Matt Chapman hit a grand slam to help the San Francisco Giants beat the lowly Colorado Rockies 6-3 on Saturday.

Chapman connected against Jake Bird (0-1) with one out in the sixth, capping a five-run inning after the Rockies scored three times in the top of the frame. It was Chapman's third career grand slam, and the first for the Giants this season.

Colorado dropped to a major league-worst 6-27.

Luis Matos hit a solo homer for San Francisco. Randy Rodríguez got three outs for the win, and Ryan Walker handled the ninth for his sixth save.

The Giants had a 1-0 lead before the Rockies rallied in the sixth. Ryan McMahon chased Jordan Hicks with a tying RBI single. Hunter Goodman singled home Jordan Beck, and Kyle Farmer added a two-out RBI single.

Hicks struck out seven in five-plus innings.

Rockies starter Bradley Blalock gave up three runs in 5 1/3 innings. He was recalled Friday to take the rotation spot of Ryan Feltner, who went on the injured list with back spasms.

Key moment

Chapman punctuated the Giants’ response after giving up the lead in the top of the sixth. After Jung Hoo Lee got San Francisco within a run with a bases-loaded single, Chapman drove a hanging sinker by Bird 402 feet into the Colorado bullpen.

Key stat

The Giants scored four or fewer runs in their previous seven games.

Up next

RHP Germán Márquez (0-5, 9.82 ERA) is scheduled to pitch for the Rockies opposite RHP Logan Webb (3-2, 2.83 ERA) in the final game of the four-game series.