James Harden's stellar performance leads Clippers past Nuggets
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INGLEWOOD — Slowing three-time MVP Nikola Jokic is nearly impossible. Not many teams can keep the Denver Nuggets' all-everything center away from the basket.
"Try is the word," Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. "Man, I mean it's really not one way. You got to try to show him different looks, which I'm sure he's seen probably pretty much everything in the book."
The Clippers' goal then in Sunday's game against the Nuggets was to "try" and keep Jokic from posting 40 or more points. If that didn't work, the team was to focus on limiting his passes and getting his teammates involved.
"You just can't give him both. You can't give him 40 and then have 12, 13 assists as well," Lue said before the game.
Easier said than done.
Jokic got his assists and 27 points, as well as 13 rebounds, but the Clippers got the best of him in a 126-122 victory on Sunday at the Intuit Dome.
Ahead, 115-113, Clippers guard Norman Powell was fouled by Christian Braun with 2:24 left in the game and made all three foul shots to take a 118-113 lead.
After Jokic made one of two foul shots, James Harden hit a 16-foot jump shot to push the Clippers up, 120-114.
Jamal Murray made it 120-116 on a jump shot, before Terance Mann, seeing his first significant minutes in weeks, buried a 3-pointer from the left corner to pad the Clippers' lead, 123-116, with 1:07 left.
Braun rebounded Gordon's 3-point miss and scored to pull within 123-121. Clippers center Ivica Zubac made 1 of 2 free throws with 12 seconds remaining for a 124-121 lead.
Jokic then missed one of two foul shots and Harden made both free throws with nine seconds left to seal the series-clinching victory.
The Clippers knew finding a way to combat Jokic's all-around game could be done. Jokic scored 41 points, but the Clippers held him to five assists and beat the Nuggets by five points in their second game of the season in Denver.
"But it is hard to slow him down because if you double-team him, he's a great passer. If you play one-on-one, he's great as far as shooting 3's as well as getting guys into foul trouble," Lue said. "So, it's a tough cover."
The fuss over Jokic couldn't overshadow the return of Powell, who missed the past six games because of a strained left hamstring. Powell, playing on a minutes-restriction, finished with 28 points in 24 minutes.
Powell scored the first two baskets of the game and kept rolling, hitting 9 of 17 shots, including 50 of 8 3-pointers and finished with 28 points.
Harden joined the 3-point contest by hitting 6-of-15 long-range shots and finished with a game-high 39 points. Amir Coffey added 13 points and five rebounds, while Terance Mann had 12 points in 24 minutes.
Michael Porter Jr. added 18 points for the Nuggets and Jamal Murray had 15. Aaron Gordon, who was sidelined for the last 10 games with a calf injury, came off the bench and added 10 points.
