Nature of This Game Pivotal

Numbers rarely tell the whole story, but this one does: 94.6.

That’s the percentage of teams in NBA history to win postseason series after taking 2-0 leads, and the Clippers and Denver Nuggets understand the situation.

With a win in Game 2 tonight at Staples Center, the Clippers would be in a strong position in the first-round series, and the Nuggets might be in big trouble.

“Some guys on our team probably don’t know how hard this second game is really going to be,� swingman Cuttino Mobley said Sunday after practice at the Spectrum health club in El Segundo.

“The Nuggets are going to go at us with everything they have. They’re going to come out fighting, kicking, scratching and things like that. That’s the way it’s going to be, because nobody wants to go down 0-2.�

Of the 186 series in which teams have taken 2-0 leads, they’ve won 176, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Denver has started 0-2 in nine playoff series, and has won only one.

Under the circumstances, the Nuggets said they planned to increase their efforts.

“We’ve got to [play] bully basketball, basically, be relentless on the defensive end, not let them do what they want to do,� Denver forward Kenyon Martin said. “We need a win. We don’t want to go home down 0-2, so we’ve got to get a win.�

In Game 1 on Saturday, the Clippers -- making their first postseason appearance in nine seasons -- withstood the Nuggets’ late rally in an 89-87 victory. It was also the Clippers’ first playoff victory since May 5, 1993, against the Houston Rockets.

The Clippers take aim at franchise postseason history tonight, attempting to win consecutive games for the first time since 1992 against the Utah Jazz, and third time overall in their seventh appearance.

Moreover, the Clippers are focused on keeping home-court advantage in the best-of-seven series that shifts to Denver’s Pepsi Center for Games 3 and 4 on Thursday and Saturday.

“We have to hold serve like a tennis match,� point guard Sam Cassell said. “Game 2 is definitely big for us, but it’s also big for them. If they win Game 2, they’ll feel like home-court advantage is in their favor.

“They’ll be going back to Denver, and I know how the crowd will be in Denver, so I want to give a shout out to my fans who come to the game [tonight]. I appreciate the effort, the cheering Saturday, but I need it a little bit louder.�

The Clippers also need to continue their effective performance against the Nuggets’ NBA-leading fastbreak.

Denver, which averaged 20.2 fastbreak points during the season, produced 10 points with its running game in Game 1 -- only two after halftime.

One loss, though, isn’t enough to rattle Nugget Coach George Karl.

“I’m a big believer that a series doesn’t really begin until someone wins on the opposing team’s court,� Karl said. “The pendulum swung a little bit to their side, but not a lot.�

The Clippers, who gave up the fewest fastbreak points at 9.79, have held Denver under its average in winning four of five games this season, and that’s a good sign for Coach Mike Dunleavy.

“I wasn’t displeased with eight [fastbreak points] in the first half,� Dunleavy said. “I could have actually lived with it because it didn’t hurt us, but our guys did a much better job, in the second half, of containing it even better.�

And the Nuggets also shot only 38.5% from the field, so it seems they have room for improvement on offense tonight.

But even if the Clippers win Game 2, the Nuggets said they wouldn’t go away quietly, especially with the next two games on their turf.

“We didn’t play a very good basketball game, and yet we still had an opportunity to win,� Denver guard Earl Boykins said. “That’s all you can want in a playoff game on the road.�

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Clipper forward Vladimir Radmanovic suffered a sprained left wrist late in the fourth quarter in Game 1 and might not play tonight.

“Nothing is broken, but it’s pretty painful,� said Radmanovic, who underwent an X-ray exam that was negative. “I just can’t really move it.�

The three-point specialist, who landed awkwardly after a collision, wore an immobilizing splint on his wrist, received therapy and was scheduled to undergo acupuncture, team trainer Jasen Powell said.