Clippers Shake Rocky Start to Finally Beat Nuggets

L.A. ended their 8-game losing streak against Denver on Wednesday night.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — It’s not how you start; it’s how you finish.

For the LA Clippers on Wednesday night, how they started was a microcosm of their previous eight games against the Denver Nuggets, a team that had the Clippers’ number since the 2021 bubble playoffs.

How they finished was a dramatic reversal of fortune as they overcame a 15-point first-quarter deficit to seize control late and eventually secure a 111-102 victory that saw the Clippers finally creep back to a .500 record as they moved to 10-10 on the season.

The Nuggets (14-8) were plagued by a rare poor shooting night from two-time MVP Nikola Jokic.

Jokic, the reigning Finals MVP, registered his league-leading ninth triple-double of the season as he tabulated 22 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists in 37 minutes. However, Jokic sank only nine of his 32 field goal attempts. It was the most misses Jokic has had in a game in his NBA career.

“I thought Zu (Ivica Zubac) did a good job [of] just being physical [with Jokic],” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said after the team’s victory.

“A lot of times Zu don't [sic] contest his shots because Joker is great at drawing fouls and getting you in the air, and so we’ve just been making a conscious effort just making sure that when he does shoot it, even the one leg fadeaways, he can make those shots, just get a contest. And so early on in that first quarter, we didn’t get contests. He made two 3s, and then I thought Zu did a better job of just trying to get out and getting a late contest at best. You can’t let the MVP just tee it up and shoot open shots. His jump hooks, his floaters, we want to challenge all those shots and make it difficult. And I thought Zu did a good job with that.”

The 32 field goal attempts by Jokic on Wednesday were the most he’s had in a game since April 5, 2022, when he attempted 35 in a home loss to the San Antonio Spurs.

Beyond the defense, starting center Ivica Zubac poured home 10 points and nine rebounds in 27 minutes while also adding in two steals and a huge late-game block on Jokic to keep the Clippers in front by six in the final 90 seconds.

The Clippers rebounded from their 15-point hole thanks to a predominantly bench lineup spearheaded by starters James Harden and Paul George. The lineup, which featured Norman Powell, Kobe Brown, and Daniel Theis alongside Harden and George, managed to trim the deficit down to just two after roughly six minutes.

Harden dazzled in the second frame, posting nine points and six assists (which went for 15 points) in the quarter. On the night, Harden finished with 20 points, a season-best 11 assists, and three steals in 32 minutes while going 6-for-10 from the field.

For the second straight game, the Clippers opted to send Harden to the bench early in a clear sign of an ongoing method to try and get the veteran guard going with the second unit when brought back to start the second quarter. Harden played the first 5 minutes and 8 seconds on Wednesday after playing the first 5 minutes and 26 seconds on Saturday.

The move worked. Lineups with Harden alongside Norman Powell and either Paul George or Kawhi Leonard were plus-19 in the second quarter.

After starting 0-5 after Harden made his debut, the Clippers have now won seven of their last 10 games.

“As much as we wanted it to happen all right now, we’re fine with the process because it’s going to be even better at the end,” Harden proclaimed postgame.

Both George and Kawhi Leonard had impactful nights alongside Harden’s mastery.

George tallied 25 points and eight rebounds while making five 3-pointers in 38 minutes.

Like George, Leonard also played 38 minutes. Leonard ended the night with 17 points on an efficient 8-for-16 shooting while adding five assists and four rebounds. Leonard hit a mid-range jumper with 1:48 to go in the fourth quarter that vaulted the Clippers into a six-point lead that would prove to be too much for Denver to overcome.

Unfortunately, the starting lineup had a second-straight rough outing.

Against Golden State on Saturday afternoon, the team’s revamped starting lineup of Harden, George, Leonard, Zubac, and Terance Mann was minus-7 in 5 minutes and 26 seconds. Despite that, the Clippers stormed back to win.

On Wednesday, the starting lineup got off to an even worse start as the Nuggets bludgeoned them from deep early on, driving Denver to an 11-point advantage roughly five minutes into the game.

Overall, that lineup was outscored by 19 points in 13 minutes and 6 seconds, a number that should have proven too difficult to overcome. But once again a key figure came to the rescue: reserve guard Norman Powell.

Powell came off the bench to supply the Clippers with 17 points on 5-for-12 shooting while also grabbing five rebounds and dishing out two assists in 31 minutes. The Clippers outscored Denver by 24 points in Powell's time on the floor.

“If we need more shooting on the floor or something different, then we go with Norm,” Lue said after the win. “And so, it's just kind of like a feel and a read for the game.”

That something different has resulted in the Clippers outscoring opponents by 26 points in the 33 minutes that Powell has spent alongside Harden, George, Leonard, and Zubac.

Russell Westbrook played 16 minutes off the bench on Wednesday, netting nine points and a jaw-dropping eight rebounds, including four on the offensive end. Westbrook also notched two blocks. Backup center Daniel Theis registered eight points and 11 rebounds, including five offensive, as well as three blocks. Theis had a personal 8-2 run early in the second quarter that catapulted the Clippers back into the game.

Rookie Kobe Brown saw 17 minutes, adding in three points and four rebounds. Terance Mann got his 10th straight start and had two points and a rebound in 20 minutes.

Denver got off to a hot first-quarter start as they made eight of their first nine 3-point attempts. They finished 4-for-22 the rest of the way.

The Clippers now have to travel and play the Utah Jazz (7-14) on the road. The Jazz were beaten by 50 on Wednesday in a game that Utah head coach Will Hardy referred to as a “masterpiece of dogshit.”

L.A. has not won a regular season game in Utah since Feb. 13, 2017. Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard has not won in Utah at all, regular season or postseason, since Nov. 4, 2016.

Maybe after breaking one streak on Wednesday night, the Clippers can break two more on Friday.