Clippers’ defense not enough against Nuggets as skid continues

Tyronn Lue’s parting phrases earlier than the Clippers left Monday for Colorado implored the workforce to not fear concerning the 9 remaining video games, however reasonably concentrate on the grit they’d performed with throughout their earlier 73, the hassle that had saved the postseason hopes alive regardless of largely taking part in with out their two finest gamers.

The Clippers didn’t “throw it away” Tuesday in Denver, as their coach had cautioned in opposition to. However they remained just a few defensive stops away from ending a dropping streak that now stands at 4, their longest in two seasons.

A two-point sport with 4:27 to play devolved right into a 127-115 Nuggets victory after Denver shot 54% and made half of its 32 three-pointers.

Guard Reggie Jackson mentioned he had gotten “misplaced” in permitting a three-pointer by Will Barton with 70 seconds to play that pushed Denver’s result in 11, however the mistake wasn’t a blip and the make not an exception on an evening when Denver, so depending on reigning most useful participant Nikola Jokic, blew up the Clippers’ try to rally from down by as many as 14 factors by getting well timed baskets from its supporting solid.

Bones Hyland made 4 of six three-pointers off the bench, Austin Rivers made three of 5 and Monte Morris made all three of his pictures behind the arc.

When the Clippers did get stops, they had been fleeting. Ahead Robert Covington’s spectacular block of Aaron Gordon on the rim with 4 minutes to play, in a two-point sport, appeared to offer the Clippers an opportunity to tie the sport. However earlier than the ball could possibly be of their possession, Gordon flipped it to Morris within the nook for a three-pointer, and the lead was 5.

“They made well timed pictures down the stretch,” Lue mentioned, “however I believed we performed nicely.”

Lacking throughout the Clippers’ tried rally was beginning ahead Marcus Morris Sr., who didn’t play the fourth quarter. After making 4 of his first six pictures, Morris made solely two of his subsequent 10 to complete with 14 factors in 28 minutes. Notably, he wasn’t amid Lue’s closing lineups after trying out for good with 12 minutes to play.

Jokic scored 30 factors with 14 rebounds and 6 assists, doing most of his injury within the first quarter when the Clippers had been outscored by 10 and Lue took an early timeout out of frustration solely two minutes into the sport after breakdowns on protection.

“We knew he was going to play nicely; normally he doesn’t play unhealthy two video games in a row,” Lue mentioned.

Terance Mann scored 24 factors with eight rebounds off the bench to steer the Clippers (36-38), additionally contributing 4 assists with no turnovers. The win pushes Denver (43-30) nearer to the sixth seed, and maybe much less more likely to meet the Clippers in a play-in match sport subsequent month, however Lue mentioned the sport was useful for permitting them to check totally different lineups that could possibly be used sooner or later.

Jackson scored 14 factors with out a turnover however didn’t make a three-pointer and mentioned that he would “should be higher.”

By going small and taking part in a lineup of Nicolas Batum, Morris, Jackson, Mann and Covington, the Clippers rattled off eight unanswered factors to trim their deficit to a few halfway by the second quarter by repeatedly discovering Mann on cuts — a layup from the nook on one possession, an help to Batum for a three-pointer on one other.

However when seven straight missed soar pictures slowed the Clippers’ momentum, the Nuggets pushed their result in 12 and led by 11 at halftime by not often letting the ball cease for lengthy, their passes sometimes one transfer forward of the Clippers’ defensive rotation. By halftime, they’d collected 17 assists — solely 5 fewer than they produced of their final sport — to shoot 61%.

It was notable, and delicate, then throughout the third quarter when Batum set his Jordans a step contained in the three-point arc and didn’t enable Jokic any nearer to the basket, nor the ball any nearer to the attain of the reigning MVP.

From expertise guarding facilities greater than ever this season — together with his protection in opposition to Jokic to jump-start a 25-point comeback win in January — Batum knew large males choose to provoke contact, not the opposite manner round, and definitely not so removed from the basket. And so he saved on Jokic’s hip as the massive man tried releasing himself by a display, and even after switching onto Clippers middle Ivica Zubac, Jokic nonetheless couldn’t get the ball.

However it virtually didn’t matter. When Jokic didn’t get the ball his teammates did — and so they drilled their pictures.