The Nuggets’ streak of taking the wind out of the Los Angeles Clippers’ collective sails ended with Friday’s 121-108 loss at Denver’s Ball Arena.
The NBA’s Christmas Day nightcap, a rematch of last season’s epic Western Conference Semifinal series, featured a lot of similarities with last year’s series except for a completed Nuggets comeback.
Paul George, widely criticized for his play in last year’s playoffs, led the Clippers with 23 points and made 5 of 9 attempts from 3-point range. Kawhi Leonard, who left the game and did not return after being bloodied by an inadvertent elbow from teammate Serge Ibaka in the fourth quarter, added 21 points, while Ibaka (15), Nicolas Batum (13) and Ivica Zubac (12) also reached double figures for the Clippers.
“I don’t think we put enough pressure on them to change the way they play,” Nuggets guard Jamal Murray said.
Nikola Jokic led the Nuggets with 24 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds, while Murray used a strong second half to finish with 23 points.
The Clippers finished with 32 assists on 41 successful shots from the field and finished 19 of 38 from 3-point range.
"They shot the ball really well," Jokic said. "We didn’t guard."
Denver made just 30.6% of its 36 3-pointers.
As was the case during the playoffs in the NBA’s Florida bubble, the Clippers established comfortable early advantages. The visitors led 32-26 after the first quarter before Luke Kennard, George, Reggie Jackson - a former standout at Palmer High School - and Patrick Patterson hit second-quarter 3-pointers that allowed the Clippers to take a 44-30 lead. The Clippers went on to lead by 20 later in the quarter and kept up their hot shooting to start the second half.
“There were stretches there, especially in that first half, where we didn’t compete,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “We got our ass kicked again on the glass in the first half.”
George and Batum each hit a couple of triples to help the Clippers to a 19-point lead through three quarters.
As was the case multiple times during the previous playoffs, Murray caught fire late, eventually pulling the Nuggets within 11 after a 3-pointer early in the fourth quarter, but unlike last season, the Clippers had answers for seemingly each Murray make. Lou Williams, Ibaka and Patrick Beverley hit fourth-quarter 3-pointers that helped the Clippers keep the Nuggets at bay and dropped Denver to 0-2 to start this season.
“We’re 0-2 and have a ways to go to get out of this,” Malone said.
In September, the Clippers won three of the first four games, before the Nuggets won the final three to become the only team in NBA history to erase a 3-1 deficit twice in the same postseason. When asked if the team was using last season’s finish as motivation, Clippers coach Tyronn Lue, an assistant to Doc Rivers last season, said he hadn’t heard anything like that.
“You'd have to ask those guys about that,” Lue said. “But me, I'm just looking for us to get better night in and night out. Can't worry about what happened last year, just have to continue to move forward.”
Speaking before the game, Malone said another win over the Clippers would make a perfect Christmas gift. Beyond the obvious, Malone added a better defensive effort would bring joy to his holiday.
“(We need to) get back and guard one-on-one. When the shot goes up, hit someone and rebound the damn ball,” Malone said. “If we improve and grow in those areas, obviously that will be a sign of good things to come for us.”
After allowing the Clippers efficient offensive numbers in the win, Malone seemingly got coal for Christmas.
“I don’t think we’ll ever be on a Christmas game again, because that’s two years in a row where we were not ready to play on Christmas night,” Malone said.
“Bah humbug.”
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Denver Nuggets' Christmas comeback comes up short in loss to Los Angeles Clippers - Colorado Springs Gazette
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