The Denver Nuggets fell 109-104 to the Los Angeles Clippers in the second home loss of the season.
Nikola Jokic, for his part, had 41 points and shot 7-of-12 from the three-point line, setting a new regular season career high for threes made. He absolutely carried the Nuggets for much of this game and helped get the team unstuck from whatever mire they were facing in the first half.
Midway through the second quarter, the Nuggets appeared despondent and unresponsive on offense, struggling more than perhaps I’ve ever seen to score and shoot the basketball. The Nuggets had 24 points through the first 19 minutes of the game and went through a nearly five-minute stretch in the second quarter when they missed 11 straight shots and committed three turnovers.
A trio of threes in a row by Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon, and Nikola Jokic helped the team recover their mojo a bit though and helped the team stabilize. The Nuggets even led for significant portions of the third and fourth quarter. Unfortunately, Denver’s defense let go of the rope in the fourth quarter, allowing 39 points.
“Obviously, Norman Powell just kicked our ass in the 4th,” Michael Malone lamented postgame. “22 points.”
Powell finished with 37 points on the evening. The Nuggets had done a reasonable job containing him for much of the game, but breakdowns on the perimeter, poor closeouts from veterans, and just a hot shooting night ultimately hurt Denver.
James Harden, not to be outdone, had 23 points, 16 assists, and six rebounds. Though Harden also had seven turnovers, it was a small price to pay for the creation he was giving for the Clippers offense, setting the table consistently for Powell and Ivica Zubac, who had 24 points himself.
Michael Malone credited Christian Braun with a solid performance against Harden though. It’s clear he didn’t see Harden’s numbers as a condemnation of Braun’s defense, who has had two solid performances to open the season despite two losses for the team.
“I think CB’s play has definitely been a bright spot for us, but as we all know, for who we are, for where we’re at, there are no silver linings and moral victories,” Michael Malone declared. “We gotta get a win. and I just hope that this feeling of being 0-2 fuels us to be even more motivated and come out just really hungry and desperate and urgent and sustain that for as close to 48 minutes as possible. That’s our challenge right now.”
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