Clippers Hold On in 115-114 Thriller — Nuggets Vs Clippers Recap

The nuggets vs clippers matchup ended in a one-point game as the Clippers held off the Denver Nuggets 115-114 on Thursday at Intuit Dome, a finish decided by a missed Jamal Murray free throw with 0. 9 seconds remaining.

Nuggets Vs Clippers: Final seconds at Intuit Dome

Bennedict Mathurin tied his career high with 38 points after sinking two free throws that put the Clippers up 115-112 with 9. 1 seconds left, and the game came down to the final possession. Derrick Jones Jr. forced Jamal Murray to stop his dribble and then committed a three-shot foul with 0. 9 seconds on the clock. Murray made the first two shots but missed the third, and the miss secured the Clippers’ 115-114 victory.

Bennedict Mathurin’s 38 jump-starts Clippers out of the break

Mathurin’s 38 points were the catalyst for the Clippers’ late surge; his two free throws in the closing seconds erased a deficit and gave LA a short-lived lead. Kawhi Leonard added 23 points, extending his streak of consecutive 20-point games to 34, and scored 10 of those 23 in the third quarter. The Clippers improved their record to 27-28 with the win.

Nuggets’ late sequence, misses and what followed

The Nuggets led 74-64 with 4: 52 left in the third quarter but could not close out the game. Coach David Adelman pointed to turnovers and free throws as decisive factors, and Murray — an 88. 7 percent free-throw shooter — missed the final attempt after the Nuggets subbed in rebounders Jonas Valančiūnas, Bruce Brown and Christian Braun for the final shot. That miss was the fifth missed free throw for Denver in the fourth quarter of the loss. The defeat dropped the Nuggets to 35-21.

Intuit Dome’s steep, uninterrupted seating known as The Wall played a vocal role at the end. Kawhi Leonard credited the crowd’s presence near the free-throw line as a boost in late moments, saying they’ve been great all year and get involved whether the coach is drawing a play or a shooter is at the line. The decision for the road team to choose which end to shoot at left Murray facing The Wall in the second half.

The win came on the front end of a back-to-back for the Clippers. With the game decided in the final second, the immediate outcome is a narrow victory and the start of the team’s next scheduled stretch of games: the Clippers will play the second game of that back-to-back next.