Nuggets Vs Clippers — Mathurin’s 38 Lifts Clippers to 115-114 Win
In a one-point thriller, the Clippers beat the Nuggets 115-114 in a game that hinged on late free-throw drama and a career-high-tying night from Bennedict Mathurin, a decisive result in the latest nuggets vs clippers matchup.
Nuggets Vs Clippers: Mathurin hits big free throws with 9. 1 seconds left
Bennedict Mathurin tied his career high with 38 points, drilling two free throws to give the Clippers a 115-112 lead with 9. 1 seconds remaining. Denver had one final possession: Jamal Murray drove, was forced to terminate his dribble by Derrick Jones Jr., and drew a three-shot foul with 0. 9 seconds left. Murray made the first two free throws but missed the game-tying attempt, and the Clippers held on for the 115-114 victory. The Nuggets subbed in Jonas Valančiūnas, Bruce Brown and Christian Braun as rebounders for that final play.
The Wall turned up the volume at Intuit Dome
The late miss unfolded with Murray facing The Wall, the uninterrupted, steep 51 rows of the Intuit Dome designed to intimidate opponents. Kawhi Leonard pointed to that crowd edge, saying, "They’ve been great all year. Another boost for us in those fourth quarters. " Leonard scored 23 points and extended his streak of consecutive 20-point games to 34, adding 10 of those points in the third quarter.
Nuggets mistakes and missed free throws cost Denver
The Nuggets had led 74-64 with 4: 52 left in the third quarter but could not close it out. Murray, an 88. 7 percent free-throw shooter, missed the final attempt; that miss was the fifth missed free throw by the Nuggets in the fourth quarter, their most missed free throws in the fourth quarter of a loss all season. Coach David Adelman blamed turnovers and free throws, saying, "You go to the free-throw line. Guy that we trust the most on our team to make those shots. So, yeah, I just thought the turnovers and the free throws, that’s what killed us in this game. "
The win came on the front end of a back-to-back for the Clippers, and it cemented a narrow escape in the latest nuggets vs clippers meeting. The victory moved the Clippers to 27-28, while the Nuggets fell to 35-21.
