LOS ANGELES — If the Clippers were ever going to end their long string of losses to the Denver Nuggets, this was their opportunity.
No Nikola Jokic. No Aaron Gordon. No Jamal Murray. Plus, the defending champions had struggled lately, going 5-5 over their past 10 games.
It should have been easier than this.
Instead, the Clippers couldn’t hold off the Nuggets and lost, 113-104, on Monday night, in the third game of their five-in-seven-days stretch. Former Clippers Reggie Jackson (35 points, 13 assists) and DeAndre Jordan (21 points, 13 rebounds) fueled the visitors down the stretch, combining for 20 points in the fourth quarter.
Denver now has won 11 of their past 12 meetings, including the past eight. The Clippers last beat the Nuggets on Jan. 11, 2022.
The Clippers had a solid chance to end that series skid on Monday. But Jackson began and ended a 22-6 spurt with 3-pointers that put the Nuggets ahead 99-94. In between, he fed Jordan for two vicious dunks. The Clippers outscored the Nuggets 6-4 in a two-minute stretch late but couldn’t stop the Nuggets from scoring seven of the next nine points to clinch the victory.
The Clippers were limited to four field goals in the fourth quarter, when they went 8 for 12 from the free-throw line. Russell Westbrook airballed a free throw with the Clippers trailing 102-98. James Harden had two turnovers in the final minutes and Paul George shot an airball in the closing seconds.
Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said before the game his team needed to focus on the players on their side of the court and not the opponent. Jokic, the two-time league MVP who was listed as questionable earlier in the day because of back pain, was officially ruled out three hours before tip-off.
Murray missed his 11th consecutive game because of a hamstring injury and Gordon is dealing with a heel issue.
“We’re not going to make it about who they’re playing (or not) because they’re still going to play hard, they’re going to compete and so we just got to be ready to play,” Lue said.
After an inconsistent first half, the Clippers found their rhythm behind the play of Ivica Zubac and Kawhi Leonard in the second half.
Leonard scored 14 of his team-high 31 points and Zubac scored 12 of his 23 points (and had nine of his 14 rebounds) in the second half.
In the third quarter, Harden began finding the basket and the Clippers outscored the Nuggets 12-3 and ended the third with an 88-76 lead. Harden, who scored just three points in the first half, finished with 11 points.
Jackson, in his first game against his former team since being traded last season, reminded the Crypto.com Arena crowd why he was always a fan favorite. After watching his tribute video, he went out and scored 18 first-half points, fueling a 20-5 run in the second quarter that turned an 11-point deficit into a four-point lead during a six-minute stretch. He finished the night 15 for 19 from the field.
The Nuggets led 58-56 at halftime but the Clippers outscored the visitors 32-19 in the third. Tied at 72-all, Zubac scored six in a row to spark a 17-5 run that was capped by Westbrook’s four straight points and sent the Clippers into the fourth leading 88-77.
Lue has talked about the sacrifices the team needs to make to win games. Lately, it’s been Leonard, who has seen his touches dip, or Harden, who, at times, has seemed hesitant to shoot. This time, it was fellow All-Star George.
George has been the Clippers’ go-to guy lately in the fourth quarter; his late-game heroics have helped secure three of their last four games and he came into the game averaging 25.4 points.
But the star guard, who got into foul trouble early then picked up his fourth and fifth fouls early in the fourth, was held to six points on 2-of-13 shooting.
“Russ does a good job of just getting PG going and getting him easy baskets, calling his number and PG’s delivered,” Lue said “We talk about sacrifice, but it’s more about winning than anything.
“And so, guys’ numbers are going to be down, guys’ shot attempts are going to be down, but I think we won the last four out of five games because of the sacrifice and so it’s going to be different nights for different guys. And with the guys we have on the floor, our four guys, it could be anybody’s night.”
More to come on this story.