The Denver Nuggets are the first team in NBA history to overcome multiple 3-1 series deficits in a single postseason.

The Nuggets completed another epic comeback with a 104-89 win over the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals on Tuesday night.

The comeback was so unlikely that once the Clippers took a 3-1 series lead, Caesars Sportsbook in Las Vegas adjusted Denver’s odds to win the series to 20-to-1.

For perspective, the Nuggets were 22-to-1 to win the NBA championship when the playoff format was first announced.

Here is your Morning Coffee for Wednesday Sept. 16, 2020.
 

The Comeback Kids

With a game-high 40 points, Jamal Murray became the first player in NBA history to score 40 points or more in three elimination games in a single postseason.

Meanwhile, Nikola Jokic had 16 points, 22 rebounds and 13 assists, becoming the first player in NBA history to record a Game 7 triple-double with 20 or more rebounds.

After consecutive wins in Games 5 and 6 as 8.5-point underdogs, Denver was listed at +7.5/+260 ML for Game 7.

The Nuggets battled back from a deficit of 16 points or more to win for the second consecutive game, recording a third straight victory in which they overcame a double-digit deficit.

Denver will play the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference finals.

It should be no surprise that the Nuggets will be underdogs once again in that series.

 

What’s Next For The Clippers?

While Denver celebrated a historic comeback, it didn’t take long for the blame game to begin in terms of what wrong for the Clippers.

The franchise fell to 0-8 all-time in games in which they’ve had a chance to clinch a Western Conference finals berth.     

They’ve now played 50 seasons without a conference finals appearance.

Per Elias, that’s the most seasons played by any active team from the NBA, NFL, NHL or MLB, without reaching that league’s penultimate playoff round.

Kawhi Leonard and company entered this season with the second-best odds to win the NBA title at 4-to-1, behind only the Lakers (2/1).

Now they’ll enter the off-season with some major question marks, no first-round pick and no projected cap space.
 

Heat Check Time

Even before Game 7 got started, NBA twitter was on fire after Bam Adebayo’s epic block on Jayson Tatum in the final seconds of overtime to preserve the win in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals.   

Adebayo scored 18 points with nine assists, six rebounds and two blocks, as the Miami Heat beat the Boston Celtics 117-114.

The Celtics went 0-for-5 from the field when contested by Adebayo in the fourth quarter and overtime.

With the win, Miami (+2/+110) improved to 4-0 outright as betting underdogs this postseason.

Only two teams have finished a single postseason undefeated as underdogs – the ’99 Spurs and the ’01 Lakers.

Both of those teams won an NBA championship.

It’s Not Over Yet

The New York Islanders avoided elimination with a 2-1 double-overtime win over the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 5 of the NHL Eastern Conference finals.

Jordan Eberle scored the winner 12:30 into the second overtime. Semyon Varlamov stopped 38 of the 39 shots he faced.

The recent trend of low-scoring games continued, with the two teams combining for just three goals to stay under the total (5.5) for the third time in the past four games.

The under has now hit in eight of the first 10 conference final games in this year’s playoffs.

Despite the loss, Tampa Bay is still the heavy favourite to advance to the Stanley Cup finals at -588.

The Islanders are listed at +435 to come back and win the series.
 

Countdown To NFL Week 2

We are less than 48 hours away from kickoff of Week 2 in the NFL, with Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals set to visit Baker Mayfield and the Cleveland Browns on Thursday Night Football.

Cleveland opened at -7.5, but is now down to as low as -5.5 at one spot.

TSN NFL analyst Davis Sanchez had more on that line movement in the debut of one of the TSN Edge’s new segments, Early Leans.

 

‘Burrow vs. Baker’ would have been one of the most overhyped games of Week 2 if both teams had won their openers.

They didn’t.

Still, Burrow and the Bengals came pretty close to upsetting the Los Angeles Chargers in a 16-13 loss in Week 1.

Now they get the opportunity to prove that they are the better Ohio team and push Cleveland to 0-2 in a primetime spot on Thursday night.

That would be a pretty memorable spot for the 2020 first-overall pick Burrow to earn his first career NFL win.

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