James Harden succumbs to defensive pressure of Christian Braun in Clippers' Game 7 crash in Denver

DENVER (AP) — Everywhere James Harden tried to go, there was Christian Braun in his way.

For that, thank the personal scouting report offered up from Harden's former teammate and Denver Nuggets sixth man Russell Westbrook. He passed along plenty of useful tips to Braun about guarding the Los Angeles Clippers' star.

Closely covered by Braun all night, Harden was just 2-of-8 from the floor and scored seven points in the Clippers' season-ending 120-101 loss to the Nuggets on Saturday in Game 7 of their first-round playoff series.

It was a sporadic shooting series for Harden all around as he shot 43.6%. After going off for 32 points in Game 1, he averaged just 16.5 points per game the rest of the series.

“James is a tough cover,” said Westbrook, who was teammates with Harden last season. “Christian did a good job trying to make the game difficult on him. I thought he did an excellent job and he has been doing that all year.”

Braun deflected the credit. He said he was able to play tighter defense on Harden because of players such as Aaron Gordon behind him. They were there waiting, just in case Harden broke away.

“I couldn’t pick him up and pressure him all game if I didn’t have the guys behind me that were flying around," Braun said.

Braun listened intently to the words of wisdom from Westbrook.

“He’s played against James. He’s played with James, so he kind of knows his game," Braun said. “He was telling me what looks to give him, when to give him this look, when to do this, when to force him right, when he goes right this is what he’s doing. I learned that over the course of this series. I got better and better as we went and the guys and the coaches trusted me tonight. We didn’t want to switch, they kept me on him all night.”

Braun was just as big on the offensive end, too. He had 21 points, including three 3-pointers in Game 7. But it was his defense that earned the most praise.

“He did what he’s been doing,” Nuggets interim coach David Adelman said. "We tried to be a little more conservative once he crossed half-court in the coverage. But then it was on Christian to get through screens and get back in front of him, to maintain our defense. ”

For Clippers coach Tyronn Lue, it was a rough 48th birthday. His team trailed by double digits at halftime and fell behind by 35 points in the fourth quarter.

“Tough loss. Not playing our best game in a situation like this, a lot of emotions,” Lue said. “I told guys to bring it in, one last hug.”

They can take solace in the fact that Kawhi Leonard heads into the offseason as healthy as he's been in a while. He didn't make his season debut until Jan. 4 due to issues with his surgically repaired right knee. Harden held things down until Leonard's return, which Lue applauded.

The Clippers entered the postseason as the league's hottest team, having won 18 of 21, and Lue was already looking past the disappointment.

“Those two together for a whole season, I think will be tremendous,” Lue said.

Harden, though, turns 36 in August and Leonard turns 34 next month. Is there a level of encouragement the Clippers can continue to build around them?

“I guess we’re still playing at a high level in a sense,” Leonard said. “It’ a hard question to answer right now.”

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Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, right, drives to the basket as Denver Nuggets guard Christian Braun, left, defends in the second half of Game 7 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series Saturday, May 3, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, left, drives to the basket past Denver Nuggets guard Christian Braun, center, in the second half of Game 7 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series Saturday, May 3, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Los Angeles Clippers forward Derrick Jones Jr., left, drives to the basket as Denver Nuggets guards Christian Braun, back left, and Russell Westbrook, right, defend in the second half of Game 7 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series Saturday, May 3, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Los Angeles Clippers guard Cam Christie, center, drives to the basket between Denver Nuggets guards Jalen Pickett, left, and Christian Braun in the second half of Game 7 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series Saturday, May 3, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Los Angeles Clippers guard James Harden, top center, looks to pass the ball to forward Derrick Jones Jr., bottom center, as Denver Nuggets guards Jamal Murray, left, and Christian Braun (0) defend in the first half of Game 7 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series Saturday, May 3, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Los Angeles Clippers guard James Harden, right, looks to drive past Denver Nuggets guard Christian Braun, left, in the first half of Game 7 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series Saturday, May 3, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Glenn Hall, a Hockey Hall of Famer whose ironman streak of 502 starts as a goaltender remains an NHL record, has died. He was 94.

Nicknamed “Mr. Goalie,” Hall worked to stop pucks at a time when players at his position were bare-faced, before masks of any kind became commonplace. He did it as well as just about anyone of his generation, which stretched from the days of the Original Six into the expansion era.

A spokesperson for the Chicago Blackhawks confirmed the team received word of Hall’s death from his family. A league historian in touch with Hall’s son, Pat, said Hall died at a hospital in Stony Plain, Alberta, on Wednesday.

A pioneer of the butterfly style of goaltending of dropping to his knees, Hall backstopped Chicago to the Stanley Cup in 1961. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy as most valuable player of the playoffs in 1968 with St. Louis when the Blues reached the final before losing to Montreal. He was the second of just six Conn Smythe winners from a team that did not hoist the Cup.

His run of more than 500 games in net is one of the most untouchable records in sports, given how the position has changed in the decades since. Second in history is Alec Connell with 257 from 1924-30.

“Glenn was sturdy, dependable and a spectacular talent in net,” Commissioner Gary Bettman said. “That record, set from 1955-56 to 1962-63, still stands, probably always will, and is almost unfathomable — especially when you consider he did it all without a mask.”

Counting the postseason, Hall started 552 games in a row.

Hall won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year in 1956 when playing for the Detroit Red Wings. After two seasons, he was sent to the Black Hawks along with legendary forward Ted Lindsay.

Hall earned two of his three Vezina Trophy honors as the league's top goalie with Chicago, in 1963 and '67. The Blues took him in the expansion draft when the NHL doubled from six teams to 12, and he helped them reach the final in each of their first three years of existence, while winning the Vezina again at age 37.

Hall was in net when Boston's Bobby Orr scored in overtime to win the Cup for the Bruins in 1970, a goal that's among the most famous in hockey history because of the flying through the air celebration that followed. He played one more season with St. Louis before retiring in 1971.

“His influence extended far beyond the crease," Blues chairman Tom Stillman said. “From the very beginning, he brought credibility, excellence, and heart to a new team and a new NHL market.”

A native of Humboldt, Saskatchewan, Hall was a seven-time first-team NHL All-Star who had 407 wins and 84 shutouts in 906 regular-season games. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1975, and his No. 1 was retired by Chicago in 1988.

Hall was chosen as one of the top 100 players in the league's first 100 years.

Blackhawks chairman and CEO Danny Wirtz called Hall an innovator and “one of the greatest and most influential goaltenders in the history of our sport and a cornerstone of our franchise.”

“We are grateful for his extraordinary contributions to hockey and to our club, and we will honor his memory today and always,” Wirtz said.

The Blackhawks paid tribute to Hall and former coach and general manager Bob Pulford with a moment of silence before Wednesday night’s game against St. Louis. Pulford died Monday.

A Hall highlight video was shown on the center-ice videoboard. The lights were turned off for the moment of silence, except for a spotlight on the No. 1 banner for Hall that hangs in the rafters at the United Center.

Fellow Hall of Famer Martin Brodeur, the league's leader in wins with 691 and games played with 1,266, posted a photo of the last time he saw Hall along with a remembrance of him.

“Glenn Hall was a legend, and I was a big fan of his,” Brodeur said on social media. “He set the standard for every goaltender who followed. His toughness and consistency defined what it meant to play.”

AP Sports Writer Jay Cohen in Chicago contributed to this report.

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FILE - Glenn Hall, second from left, stands with fellow former Chicago Blackhawks players Stan Mikita, former general manager Tommy Ivan, Bobby Hull, Bill Wirtz and Tony Esposito during a pre-game ceremony at the Chicago Stadium in Chicago, Ill., April 14, 1994. (AP Photo/Fred Jewell, File)

FILE - St. Louis Blues goalie Glenn Hall, top right, is pinned to his net waiting to make a save on a Montreal Canadians shot as Blues' Noel Picard (4) tries to block the puck while Canadiens' John Ferguson (22) and Ralph Backstorm wait for a rebound in the third period of their NHL hockey Stanley Cup game, May 5, 1968. (AP Photo/Fred Waters, File)