The Los Angeles Clippers beat the Denver Nuggets 105-102 at Ball Arena in Denver during Game 2 of their first-round series in the NBA playoffs on Monday night, April 21, 2025.

There's a reason top-seeded teams like the Thunder are often more prepared to make deep runs in NBA history: they're getting a lot of cumulative rest over the course of the playoffs. Meanwhile, all the teams in the middle (like Denver and L.A.) wear themselves out before they really get the ball rolling.