The Los Angeles Clippers aren’t a rival to the Denver Nuggets. They’re the defending champion’s perpetual punching bag. Denver overcame a 3-1 deficit to defeat them in a 2020 playoff collection. The Nuggets have gone 13-2 towards the Clippers of their final 15 complete video games. Final season, all 4 of these wins got here by double digits. At one level within the 2020 collapse, Paul George missed a nook 3-pointer off the aspect of the backboard. There isn’t a scarcity of humiliation right here. The Nuggets have not stopped embarrassing the Clippers because the bubble.
However what occurred on Monday? That may be the brand new low, not only for this non-rivalry, however maybe this complete period of Clippers basketball. The Nuggets knew early Monday that Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon would sit out towards the Clippers. Two-time MVP Nikola Jokic joined them attributable to decrease again ache. Bear in mind, depth is Denver’s best weak spot. Denver has a plus-9.5 internet score with Jokic on the ground this season and a minus-8.3 internet score with out him. A house sport towards the Nuggets with out Jokic, Murray and Gordon ought to be about as simple as NBA video games get. It regarded even simpler on paper because the Nuggets had been on the second evening of a back-to-back. So, naturally, the Nuggets beat the Clippers, 113-104.
Now, as Nuggets coach Michael Malone noted after the sport, “We did it right here final yr on this constructing with out Nikola Jokic, identical factor.” That’s, technically, true. On Jan. 13, 2023, the Nuggets beat the Clippers, 115-103, in Los Angeles with out Jokic. Nonetheless, Murray and Gordon performed in that sport, and Paul George did not. The Nuggets had been weaker this time. The Clippers had been presupposed to be stronger. As an alternative, the Clippers misplaced to a pair of opponents whose presence within the upset solely additional twisted the knife.
This season, Reggie Jackson and DeAndre Jordan have mixed to common 15 factors, 5.9 rebounds and 5 assists per sport in restricted minutes. Jackson has began instead of Murray, however will probably be a backup when this group is wholesome. Jordan has barely performed. However on Monday? They mixed for 56 factors, 18 rebounds and 16 assists on 23-of-30 capturing. Jackson and Jordan are each of their mid-30s now, however each of them spent their primes with the Clippers. Jackson was traded by Los Angeles final season. Jordan left as a free agent in 2018. The pair mixed for 5 alley-oops. This video says greater than phrases ever might.
Within the grand scheme of issues, November losses are not often essential. The Clippers are 7-9. That is far worse than they anticipated or hoped, nevertheless it’s solely 4 video games out of the No. 2 seed within the Western Convention. On paper, the Clippers are nonetheless very fixable.
However basketball is not performed on paper. For the previous three years, the Clippers have confirmed utterly incapable of beating the one time it’s a must to beat with a purpose to win the Western Convention. In actual fact, their one victory over the Nuggets prior to now three calendar years was considerably much like this one. On Jan. 11, 2022, Los Angeles (with out Kawhi Leonard and Paul George) eked out an 87-85 victory over Denver, who shot an abysmal 12% from 3. Massive image? The Clippers’ cornerstone duo hasn’t overwhelmed the Nuggets since 2020.
The brand new stars weren’t precisely higher on Monday. James Harden shot 3-of-7 from the sector in 36 minutes whereas turning the ball over thrice. Russell Westbrook added 4 turnovers and the Clippers misplaced his 27 minutes by 11 factors. The offensive match points that had been apparent upon Harden’s acquisition have been even worse than anticipated. The Clippers by no means transfer or cross on offense. They cannot defend guards both.
No November loss ends a season, however this one was about as damning because it will get. It was all the things unsuitable with a group that has finished all the things over the previous 4 seasons and all the things proper in regards to the defending champions all compressed into 48 minutes. Denver’s D-listers stepped up when referred to as upon. The Nuggets did all the things they wanted to do with a purpose to win shorthanded. If the Clippers cannot even pull themselves collectively sufficient to beat Denver’s bench at house in November, what probability will they’ve towards their actual group in April or Could?
