Photo: AP/Mark J. Terrill

Gary Harris had an exceptional Game 2 performance for the Denver Nuggets to tie the series with the Los Angeles Clippers. Denver’s head coach Mike Malone praised his player for his game, especially in the last 12 minutes of the contest.

“They were blitzing Jamal’s pick-and-rolls, they were double-teaming all of Nikola’s post-ups, and the ball found Gary, and without any hesitation, he stepped up,” Malone said, per Mike Singer of Denver Post.

Harris came out big in the closing quarter making huge plays on both ends of the floor. The Michigan State product was also crucial in Game 7 of the series with the Utah Jazz making crucial defensive plays.

“I know there’s a lot of people out there that question Gary and have been hating on Gary about his offense,” Malone said on Sunday.

“Well, hopefully after last night’s performance, which allowed us to tie this series up, people will give Gary a little bit of a break. I trust him, and he came through for us last night.”

The Nuggets will face the Clippers in Game 3 of the WC semifinals on Monday.