The Los Angeles Clippers got off to a winning start post the All-Star break, beating the Denver Nuggets 115-114 at Intuit Dome on Thursday. The Clippers trailed for much of the night but managed to escape with a win after Jamal Murray failed to send the game to overtime at the end.
Murray and Nikola Jokic had struggled for long stretches against the Clippers, but came alive down the stretch. They combined for 25 points in the fourth quarter, but the Canadian missed when it mattered most. Murray had crucially managed to draw a foul as he attempted a three-pointer with less than a second remaining, with the Nuggets down 115-112. He made the first two but missed the third to hand the Clippers a win that sees them improve to 27-28.
Here is a look at how each Clipper fared on the night.
Bennedict Mathurin: A+
Game Stats: 38 PTS, 5 REB, 4 AST, 3 STL, 3 TOV, 12-22 FG, 2-6 3PT, 12-13 FT, 34 MIN
It was a home debut to remember for Bennedict Mathurin, as he tied his career-high with 38 points. Mathurin, whom the Clippers acquired from the Indiana Pacers, got off to a fast start with 11 points in the first quarter, but went a bit quiet after that. He then stepped up when it mattered, scoring 16 points in the fourth quarter when Jokic and Murray were threatening to take this game away from the Clippers.
Mathurin can get tunnel vision at times, but when the shots are falling the way they were here, you can’t complain. He was also active on the glass with two offensive rebounds and managed to force some turnovers as well.
Derrick Jones Jr.: A
Game Stats: 22 PTS, 3 REB, 1 AST, 1 TOV, 7-15 FG, 2-7 3PT, 6-7 FT, 34 MIN
Derrick Jones Jr. was simply outstanding in the second half, but he also very nearly made a mistake that could have proven to be ever so costly. Jones had 20 points after halftime, but he was the one who fouled Murray on that three-pointer. While one could argue that the one-time All-Star was looking to draw a foul, you cannot fall for it in that moment.
Jones is one of the best defenders on the Clippers, and you wouldn’t have expected that from him. That mistake could have overshadowed all his good work up to that point, but he got away with it.
Kawhi Leonard: A-
Game Stats: 23 PTS, 4 REB, 3 AST, 2 TOV, 8-18 FG, 1-7 3PT, 6-8 FT, 33 MIN
Kawhi Leonard had erupted for 31 points against Team World in one of the All-Star Games, but he was misfiring early on here. Leonard had nine points on 4-11 shooting from the field in the first half and needed his teammates to carry the load. He then fared much better in the second and also made the right decisions more often than not when the Nuggets were sending multiple bodies at him down the stretch.
John Collins: A-
Game Stats: 11 PTS, 12 REB, 4 AST, 1 STL, 3 BLK, 2 TOV, 5-10 FG, 1-4 3PT, 32 MIN
John Collins and Mathurin were the ones keeping the Clippers in this game in the first half. Collins had 11 points and eight rebounds at the half. We didn’t see much from him offensively after that, but he still recorded just his third triple-double of the season here. Collins was very active on the defensive end as well.
Brook Lopez: B
Game Stats: 8 PTS, 6 REB, 2 AST, 1 STL, 1 BLK, 1 TOV, 4-10 FG, 0-4 3PT, 31 MIN
The outside shot wasn’t falling for Brook Lopez against the Nuggets here, but he still managed to have a big impact on the game. Most notably, Lopez managed to block Jokic’s layup, with the Clippers hanging on to a two-point lead in the final minute. He would later get loose for a dunk with 13.0 seconds remaining that put his team up four points. It was a fine showing from the veteran big man after a bit of a rough start.
Kris Dunn: B
Game Stats: 2 PTS, 8 REB, 8 AST, 2 STL, 3 TOV, 1-4 FG, 29 MIN
Kris Dunn didn’t give the Clippers much from a scoring standpoint, but did everything else. Dunn set new season-highs for both rebounds and assists here. He managed to force a couple of turnovers as well, and this was a classic Kris Dunn game.
Yanic Konan Niederhauser: B-
Game Stats: 4 PTS, 4 REB, 1 AST, 2-3 FG, 13 MIN
Yanic Konan Niederhauser had a solid outing here despite being in a bit of foul trouble. Niederhauser had some good moments when defending against Jokic and played his part in the Serbian having an off night. He also capitalized on the couple of opportunities he had to score.
Nicolas Batum: C+
Game Stats: 6 PTS, 2 REB, 2-3 FG, 2-3 3PT, 18 MIN
Nicolas Batum had a quiet game here, but did hit two huge three-pointers in the third quarter. The Nuggets were threatening to pull away in this one as they built up a 10-point lead in the third, but Batum then made his first three to stop the bleeding. That started a 14-3 Clippers run that ended with him hitting another three to give them the lead.
Jordan Miller: C
Game Stats: 1 PTS, 1 REB, 4 AST, 1 STL, 0-2 FG, 0-2 3PT, 1-2 FT, 13 MIN
Jordan Miller has impressed with his scoring, but didn’t do much of it here against the Nuggets. Miller did have four assists at least without coughing up the ball even once.
Isaiah Jackson: C-
Game Stats: 1 STL, 4 MIN
Isaiah Jackson got game time in the first half here as Jokic had the Clippers’ bigs in some foul trouble. Jackson got called for three fouls as well in the few minutes he played, and didn’t see the court in the second half.
