It took overtime, a clutch 3-pointer from Christian Braun and a pair of pressure-packed free throws from Aaron Gordon and Nikola Jokic, but the Nuggets protected home court in Saturday’s Game 1 against the Clippers.

Here are three takeaways from Denver’s 112-110 win at Ball Arena.

1. The Nuggets stole one despite uncharacteristic scoring nights from their second- and third-leading scorers. Jamal Murray started 4 of 15 from the field, while Michael Porter Jr. finished with three points on four shot attempts. Interim coach David Adelman elected to close with Russell Westbrook in Porter’s place. Porter played 26 minutes, while Denver’s four other starters played 45 or more. Murray finished with 21 points on 20 shots, but he contributed in other areas, posting nine rebounds and seven assists.

2. The Clippers didn’t struggle with the different defensive looks the Nuggets threw at them early. Denver started the game’s first possession in a 3-2 zone, a look they mixed in through the first quarter. The Nuggets also utilized man-to-man with Christian Braun on James Harden and Aaron Gordon on Kawhi Leonard. David Adelman had his team blitzing the pick-and-roll in an attempt to force the ball out of Harden’s hands, but Ivica Zubac was up to the challenge of playing four-on-three on the back end. The Clippers scored 29 points in the first nine minutes with 22 of those points coming in the paint. After Denver’s zone was effective for a few minutes, James Harden capped his 15-point first quarter with a couple of tough 3-pointers. The Nuggets’ defense was much better for the final three quarters of regulation.

3. While most assumed the Clippers would have an advantage in bench production, that wasn’t the case Saturday. Clippers coach Ty Lue used four reserves in the first half to David Adelman’s three – Russell Westbrook, Peyton Watson and Jalen Pickett – but Denver had an 13-2 advantage in bench points at halftime. The Nuggets finished with a 23-13 advantage in bench points thanks to Westbrook’s 15.