Denver >> Nikola Jokic scored 29 points and Aaron Gordon added 25, including a pair of free throws with 12 seconds left, and the Denver Nuggets roared back from a 15-point first-half deficit to power past the Los Angeles Clippers 112-110 in overtime Saturday in the opener of their Western Conference playoff series.

Jamal Murray added 21 points, nine boards and seven assists for the fourth-seeded Nuggets, who improved to 4-0 under interim coach David Adelman, Michael Malone’s replacement.

The No. 5 seed Clippers’ loss was their first since March 30 at Cleveland. They rolled into the playoffs having won 18 of 21, including their last eight, and they jumped out to an early lead that held until the final minutes of regulation.

Game 2 is Monday night at Ball Arena.

Russell Westbrook came up big at the end of both regulation — with an uncontested corner 3 for a 98-96 Denver lead — and again in overtime when he knocked the inbounds pass away from — and off of — James Harden with 9.6 seconds left and Denver clinging to a 3-point lead.

Jokic was fouled on the ensuing inbounds play and his two free throws made it 112-107 before Norman Powell’s buzzer 3-pointer.

Pacers 117, Bucks 98 >> Pascal Siakam kept it simple. He got to his spots, hit his shots and made the plays.

The three-time All-Star finished with 25 points and seven rebounds while Tyrese Haliburton added 10 points and 12 assists to lead the Indiana Pacers past the Milwaukee Bucks 117-98 for a 1-0 lead in the Eastern Conference best-of-seven first-round series.

“It’s just playing the game the way it’s supposed to be played — not a lot of thinking, just play the game,” Siakam said after going 10 of 15 from the field. “I think as long as we play the right way and we get the shots we’re supposed to get and we want to get, that’s what’s important.”

Siakam took full advantage of the festive atmosphere as Indiana hosted its first series opener since 2014.

Team officials handed out gold T-shirts that lit up Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Fans repeatedly counted the seconds it took for two-time league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo to shoot free throws and heckled Bucks forward Bobby Portis. And they roared with delight when WNBA star Caitlin Clark and others appeared on the video board.

But what they wanted — and needed most — was a fast start.