The Los Angeles Clippers did a lot of things right in Game 1 of their Western Conference quarterfinal series, but one area cost them the win against the Denver Nuggets.
Los Angeles had 20 turnovers on Saturday, including seven by Kawhi Leonard, in a 112-110 overtime loss. Because it was just one issue, the team is encouraged and not discouraged heading into Monday night’s Game 2 in Denver.
“We’re in good shape; we just have to do what we’re supposed to do,” said Clippers coach Tyronn Lue.
Lue doesn’t plan to make any adjustments to his rotation after his team dictated tempo and held the Nuggets to 49 points in the first half.
“We have another half of what we did (Saturday),” Lue said Sunday. “If it doesn’t work, something will be done.”
What was working was James Harden’s play, Ivica Zubac’s presence inside and Leonard’s 22 points on 9-for-15 shooting. The Clippers attacked the rim early in the game, producing 36 points in the paint by halftime, but went away from that strategy at times in the second half.
Those missteps haven’t shaken their belief. They know a win Monday night means they head home with control of the series.
“It’s confidence, confidence is always going to be there,” Harden said. “It’s a little frustrating just because it is self-inflicted and it is something that we have been really good at these last few weeks. It’s even-keel, we will come back in Game 2 and be even better.”
Denver is also confident after playing a somewhat chaotic game, yet grinding out the win. Nikola Jokic (27 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds) did his part, but the key was Russell Westbrook. He hit a big 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter and made a big defensive play in the final seconds of overtime.
Westbrook was on the floor for the last 13-plus minutes of the game while Michael Porter Jr. was on the bench. Porter hit a 3-pointer on the Nuggets’ first possession, then took only three shots the rest of the game and didn’t score again. His struggles to find space on offense led interim head coach David Adelman to deploy a better defensive lineup to close out the game.
“I think the five guys that finished did their job and we won this game defensively,” Adelman said.
While Porter is a better shooter, he sat for a long time and would have been cold coming in for overtime.
“There’s two ways to look at that,” Adelman said on not subbing in Porter for the closing minutes. “You can say, well, I chose not to play Michael. Or, you can say — should I put Michael in a really unfair situation? Should I do that to him? I don’t think so.”
Los Angeles’ defense had something to do with Porter not getting many opportunities. Shouldit continue in Game 2, that means the Clippers will see more of Westbrook.
“If Mike comes out, and he plays, and he’s engaged defensively, he’s knocking down shots — Michael will be out there,” Adelman said. “Just like everybody else in that locker room.”
