The Los Angeles Clippers played their best game since acquiring James Harden tonight. Unfortunately, the game was against the defending champion Nuggets, who overpowered the Clippers late in the fourth quarter to walk away with a 108-111 win.
Fans thought this was one of the best games of the season and that the Clippers lost because there’s no stopping Nikola Jokic.
The Clippers are now 0-5 in the James Harden era pic.twitter.com/8SR9C0Jo1I
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) November 15, 2023
The action on the court was phenomenal, as this game had one of the most competitive fourth quarters we have seen this season.
Good lord Clippers Vs Nuggets is amazing
— Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod 🇸🇴 (@big_business_) November 15, 2023
Fans were stunned at the brilliance of Nikola Jokic.
Nikola Jokić is inevitable. Creates advantages everywhere on the court. One of the very best players I've ever watched.
— Shane Young (@YoungNBA) November 15, 2023
Tyronn Lue’s decision to run a small lineup at the end of the fourth that allowed the Nuggets to go on a 13-3 run brought a lot of ire from fans.
Ty Lue is just unserious. I have no words.
He gotta go pic.twitter.com/NVBdBQgd0s
— Beastbrook (@Beastbr00k0) November 15, 2023
Paul George had a great game and led the Clippers offensively, but his clutch-time winner ended up being a missed wedgie which led to a jumpball, as the Clippers didn’t even get a final shot off.
Nah the memes that are about to come outta that Paul George wedgie for the tie are about to be LEGENDARY 😭😭
— omo von doom (@yungmustard23) November 15, 2023
Clipper fans were sympathetic towards Harden, who quietly had his best game on the Clippers with a 20-point outing.
https://twitter.com/LamarHefner/status/1724661043400487240
Kawhi Leonard received a lot of hate from fans for his poor shot-selection, with some calling Westbrook better than him.
Russ and Kawhi have performed almost equally as good tonight and one of them is on a minimum contract. People just love slandering Russ.
— ᴇʀᴀ 🕷️ (@TheWestbrookEra) November 15, 2023
Jokic was the star of the night by far, causing people to marvel at how he plays the game and dominates.
Nikola Jokic is one of the most dominant offensive players to ever touch a basketball. I love everything about his game. We are blessed to witness.
— Roosh (@RooshWilliams) November 15, 2023
The wedgie is going to be the biggest talking point for many, but Paul George was the only consistent scorer the Clippers had tonight. He put up 35 points and excelled in his role as the primary scorer. Kawhi Leonard and Russell Westbrook struggled, with Leonard notching 15 points on 35.7% shooting and Westbrook putting up just eight points on 33.3% shooting. James Harden put up 21 points in his best outing so far as a Clipper.
The Nuggets came in without Jamal Murray but Reggie Jackson had a great game against his former employees, dropping 18. Aaron Gordon had a much-needed 20-point outing, but everything revolved around Nikola Jokic. He had 32 points, 16 rebounds, and nine assists in another all-around dominant performance by the reigning Finals MVP.
James Harden Getting His Swagger Back
The Clippers may be 0-5 with Harden, but this was the best performance we saw from the team since he joined. The Nuggets are arguably the best team in the NBA and they pushed them to a close win. If lineup decisions at the end of the game weren’t bad, we could be talking about this game as their first win in the Harden era.
The Beard’s confidence in the floor was a big boost, as he played more comfortably and had his first 20-point night on the Clippers. During the game, he was heard telling Bones Hyland he was getting his swagger back, which was evident during the game.
“I’m making shots. That’s my swagger. You feel me? I got to get back to the basics first, then I got to get my swagger. I’ll be alright though. I gotta stick the landing, go back to fundamentals and basics.”
"I'm making shots. That's my swagger. You feel me? I got to get back to the basics first, then I got to get my swagger… I'll be alright though."
– James Harden
(h/t @ClutchPoints )
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) November 15, 2023
Harden’s swagger will not be the determining factor for the Clippers, as the team had deeper problems today. Kawhi Leonard’s offensive inconsistency burned them at many points, with Leonard putting up uncharacteristically bad shots since Harden joined. Westbrook was arguably worse, playing turnover-prone basketball and struggling to make any offensive impact on the game.
Harden and PG13 will be attacked as well, but it’s safe to say that they were their two best players today. What that says for this team’s title odds, we have to wait and see.
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