October 26th 2024.
Just two days after boldly stating that his team was not a good shooting team, Nikola Jokic took matters into his own hands. However, despite scoring 41 points and hitting a career-high seven 3-pointers, his efforts were not enough to secure a win against the Clippers in their home opener at Ball Arena. With just 14 seconds left in the game and the Nuggets down by three, Jokic had a chance to tie it up with a shot from the top of the key. But unfortunately, he couldn't draw a foul and the ball missed to the left.
Earlier in the game, with just 1:35 remaining, Michael Porter Jr. passed up an open 3-pointer to pass the ball to Jokic, who was on fire from beyond the arc. Jokic didn't disappoint, hitting his seventh 3-pointer of the game and giving the Nuggets a one-point lead. But the Clippers' Norman Powell quickly responded with a game-tying 3-pointer of his own, and a failed challenge by Nuggets coach Michael Malone put James Harden on the free throw line with 31 seconds left. Jokic had a chance to tie it up with a free throw, but ended up missing one of them.
Powell led the Clippers with 35 points, hitting 7 of 11 shots from deep. Harden also had a strong game with 21 points, 12 of which came from free throws. Ivica Zubac also had a big night for the Clippers, scoring 24 points and grabbing 15 rebounds. For the Nuggets, Jamal Murray finished with 22 points.
The Nuggets struggled with their shooting in this game, making just 9 of their first 39 shots from the field. They also struggled in the paint, getting outscored 30-10 in that area in the first half. Coach Malone had expressed his frustration with the team's poor shooting before the game, but also pointed out that their spacing and organization on the court needed improvement.
In an effort to mix things up, Malone made some changes to the team's rotations. In their previous game, Westbrook and Julian Strawther had replaced Murray and Christian Braun as the first substitutions. This time, Strawther was the only one to come off the bench, replacing Michael Porter Jr. However, the second unit still struggled to find their chemistry and positioning on the court.
Things started to turn around for the Nuggets when Murray and Porter were on the court together in the second quarter. They managed to win their minutes and make some much-needed shots, but overall the team continued to struggle with their shooting. At one point, they were down by 18 points and Malone called a timeout to regroup.
After the timeout, the Nuggets came out firing with three consecutive 3-pointers from Murray, Aaron Gordon, and Jokic, cutting the deficit in half. They continued to fight and were only down by six points at halftime. In the third quarter, the Nuggets looked more like their usual selves, scoring 10 of their first 12 points in the paint. Their offense was clicking, but their defense still needed some work.
Westbrook, who had a tough shooting night, made up for it with his energy on defense. He made a key steal from his former teammate, James Harden, which led to a layup for Christian Braun and a go-ahead lead for the Nuggets. They held onto that lead for the rest of the game until a costly turnover by Murray gave the Clippers the lead with just over three minutes remaining. Derrick Jones Jr. also got some revenge against his former team with a powerful dunk that got the crowd at Ball Arena on their feet.
Despite the loss, the Nuggets showed signs of improvement and will continue to work on their chemistry and shooting as the season progresses. For more news and analysis on the Nuggets, be sure to sign up for the Nuggets Insider.
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