Game ID: 22300024
LA Clippers @ Denver Nuggets
Tuesday, November 14, 2023 at 10:00 PM ET
Ball Arena, Denver, CO
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
DEN 28 32 24 27 111LAC 26 26 32 24 108
DEN vs LAC ScoutingDEN vs LAC Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
DEN availability going into 11/04 · back-to-backOUT Jordan missed 6 since 10/24, returns tonight: 12 min (113% of 11)
BACK Holiday back 10/29 after 2, 4 min since (31% of 15)
DEN availability going into 11/06 · 1 day's restOUT Holiday missed 2 since 11/03, out tonight
BACK Jordan back 11/04 after 6, 12 min since (113% of 11)
DEN availability going into 11/08 · 1 day's restOUT Holiday missed 3 since 11/03, returns tonight: 8 min (54% of 15)
BACK Jordan back 11/04 after 6, 12 min since (113% of 11)
DEN availability going into 11/12 · 3 days' restOUT Murray missed 2 since 11/06, out tonight
OUT Jordan missed 2 since 11/06, out tonight
BACK Holiday back 11/08 after 3, 8 min since (54% of 15)
DEN availability going into 11/14 · 1 day's restOUT Murray missed 3 since 11/06, out tonight
OUT Jordan missed 3 since 11/06, out tonight
BACK Holiday back 11/08 after 3, 8 min since (54% of 15)
NEW Jackson 21 to 26 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 11/17 · 2 days' restOUT Murray missed 4 since 11/06, out tonight
OUT Jordan missed 4 since 11/06, out tonight
BACK Holiday back 11/08 after 3, 5 min since (33% of 15)
NEW Jackson 21 to 28 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 11/19 · 1 day's restOUT Murray missed 5 since 11/06, out tonight
OUT Jordan missed 5 since 11/06, out tonight
BACK Holiday back 11/08 after 3, 5 min since (33% of 15)
NEW Gordon 32 to 38 min over the last 5
NEW Jackson 21 to 30 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 11/20 · back-to-backOUT Murray missed 6 since 11/06, out tonight
OUT Jordan missed 6 since 11/06, out tonight
BACK Holiday back 11/08 after 3, 9 min since (61% of 15)
NEW Jackson 21 to 29 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 11/22 · 1 day's restOUT Murray missed 7 since 11/06, out tonight
OUT Jordan missed 7 since 11/06, out tonight
NEW Jackson 21 to 29 min over the last 5
LAC availability going into 11/06 · 4 days' restNEW Westbrook 22 to 34 min over the last 5
NEW Hyland 14 to 26 min over the last 5
LAC availability going into 11/08 · 1 day's restNEW Westbrook 22 to 34 min over the last 5
NEW Hyland 14 to 26 min over the last 5
LAC availability going into 11/10 · 1 day's restNEW Westbrook 22 to 33 min over the last 5
NEW Hyland 14 to 23 min over the last 5
LAC availability going into 11/12 · 1 day's restOUT Plumlee missed 2 since 11/08, out tonight
NEW Westbrook 22 to 32 min over the last 5
NEW Hyland 14 to 25 min over the last 5
LAC availability going into 11/14 · 1 day's restOUT Plumlee missed 3 since 11/08, out tonight
NEW Westbrook 22 to 31 min over the last 5
NEW Hyland 14 to 23 min over the last 4
LAC availability going into 11/17 · 2 days' restOUT Coffey missed 2 since 11/12, out tonight
OUT Plumlee missed 4 since 11/08, out tonight
OUT Hyland missed 2 since 11/12, out tonight
NEW Westbrook 22 to 28 min over the last 5
LAC availability going into 11/20 · 2 days' restOUT Coffey missed 3 since 11/12, returns tonight: 4 min (20% of 21)
OUT Plumlee missed 5 since 11/08, out tonight
OUT Hyland missed 3 since 11/12, returns tonight: 4 min (30% of 14)
LAC availability going into 11/22 · 1 day's restOUT Plumlee missed 6 since 11/08, out tonight
BACK Coffey back 11/20 after 3, 4 min since (20% of 21)
BACK Hyland back 11/20 after 3, 4 min since (30% of 14)
LAC availability going into 11/24 · 1 day's restOUT Plumlee missed 7 since 11/08, out tonight
BACK Coffey back 11/20 after 3, 7 min since (35% of 21)
BACK Hyland back 11/20 after 3, 4 min since (30% of 14)
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Denver comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 109, shooting 50 percent and 37 from three, 22 free throws a game; Jokić at 33 and Porter Jr. at 23 a game. It has won the glass by 7 a night. Without Murray (3 straight). One day's rest. The Clippers come in 0-5 over their last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 118, shooting 46 percent and 33 from three, 23 free throws a game; Leonard at 23 and George at 21 a game. That is 5 straight losses. One day's rest.
So: Denver wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Denver has been plus-7 a night and the Clippers minus-3 and the turnovers, the Clippers giving it away 16 times a game to Denver's 11. Call it Denver 117, the Clippers 108.
11/04 vs CHI 123-101 — DEN notes
DEN won 123-101. DEN shot 52% (42 of 81) to CHI's 45%, 16 of 36 from three, and went to the line 30 times to CHI's 23 — 23 points from the stripe to their 16. The glass went 49-37 for them. Jokić led with 28 (9 of 16, 1 of 3 from three, 9 of 9 at the line); Porter Jr. added 27, Jackson 16. The hinge was Q3, 35-21: DEN came in trailing by 2 and left it ahead by 12, and the lead reached 23. DEN trailed 51-53 at the half and won the second half 72-48. Jokić was the night's best plus/minus at +33.
11/06 vs NOP 134-116 — DEN notes
DEN won 134-116. DEN shot 54% (51 of 95) to NOP's 50%, 15 of 39 from three, and went to the line 23 times to NOP's 15 — 17 points from the stripe to their 13. Jokić led with 35 (15 of 24, 2 of 6 from three); Porter Jr. added 22, Strawther 21. The hinge was Q3, 40-21: DEN came in trailing by 12 and left it ahead by 7, and the lead reached 18. DEN trailed 59-71 at the half and won the second half 75-45. Caldwell-Pope was the night's best plus/minus at +23.
11/08 vs GSW 108-105 — DEN notes
DEN won 108-105. DEN shot 45% (41 of 92) to GSW's 43%, 11 of 35 from three. Jokić led with 35 (14 of 25, 1 of 8 from three, 6 of 10 at the line); Jackson added 20, Porter Jr. 17. The hinge was Q1, 26-21: from level to 5 ahead. Porter Jr. was the night's best plus/minus at +13.
11/12 @ HOU 104-107 — DEN notes
DEN lost 104-107. DEN shot 46% (42 of 91) to HOU's 43%, 9 of 32 from three, and got to the line 14 times to HOU's 29. Jokić led with 36 (13 of 26, 2 of 6 from three, 8 of 8 at the line); Porter Jr. added 25, Gordon 16. Q1 was theirs, 30-23, but the other 3 periods went 84-74 against them. Nnaji's -18 in 11 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/14 vs LAC 111-108 — DEN notes
DEN won 111-108. DEN shot 53% (39 of 73) to LAC's 43%, 8 of 23 from three, and went to the line 32 times to LAC's 24 — 25 points from the stripe to their 21. Jokić led with 32 (8 of 23, 2 of 7 from three, 14 of 14 at the line); Gordon added 20, Jackson 18. The hinge was Q2, 32-26: a lead of 2 became 8. Jackson was the night's best plus/minus at +9.
11/17 @ NOP — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New Orleans comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 121, shooting 48 percent and 38 from three, 24 free throws a game; Ingram at 24 and Williamson at 20 a game. Without McCollum (5 straight). 2 days' rest. Denver comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 107, shooting 50 percent and 36 from three, 24 free throws a game; Jokić at 33 and Porter Jr. at 20 a game. Without Murray (4 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Denver wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Denver allowing 107 a night to New Orleans's 121 and the turnovers, New Orleans giving it away 16 times a game to Denver's 10. Call it Denver 116, New Orleans 111.
11/19 @ CLE — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 113, shooting 50 percent and 37 from three, 28 free throws a game; Mitchell at 24 and LeVert at 20 a game. Without Okoro (6 straight). One day's rest. Denver comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 110, shooting 49 percent and 31 from three, 21 free throws a game; Jokić at 33 and Porter Jr. at 18 a game. Without Murray (5 straight). One day's rest.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the arc, Cleveland at 37 percent from three to Denver's 31 and the line, where Cleveland takes 28 free throws a game to Denver's 21. Call it Cleveland 113, Denver 112, Denver keeping it close.
11/20 @ DET — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Detroit comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 122, shooting 46 percent and 31 from three, 24 free throws a game; Cunningham at 16 and Burks at 14 a game. That is 5 straight losses. Without Duren (4 straight), Livers (3 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Denver comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 111, shooting 48 percent and 33 from three, 21 free throws a game; Jokić at 29 and Porter Jr. at 18 a game. Without Murray (6 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Denver wins, on the road, and the game turns on the turnovers, Detroit giving it away 17 times a game to Denver's 11 and the defense, Denver allowing 111 a night to Detroit's 122. Call it Denver 114, Detroit 111, Detroit keeping it close.
11/22 @ ORL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Orlando comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 108, shooting 46 percent and 34 from three, 27 free throws a game; Banchero at 20 and F. Wagner at 18 a game. That is 4 straight wins. Without Carter Jr. (9 straight), Fultz (6 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Denver comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 111, shooting 48 percent and 34 from three, 20 free throws a game; Jokić at 24 and Porter Jr. at 18 a game. Without Murray (7 straight). One day's rest.
So: Orlando wins, and the game turns on the line, where Orlando takes 27 free throws a game to Denver's 20. Call it Orlando 111, Denver 108, Denver keeping it close.
11/06 @ NYK 97-111 — LAC notes
LAC lost 97-111. LAC shot 49% (36 of 73) to NYK's 47%, 11 of 32 from three. The glass went 31-48 against them. Leonard led with 18 (8 of 16, 2 of 6 from three); Harden added 17, Westbrook 17. Q1 was theirs, 21-19, but the other 3 periods went 92-76 against them. Harden's -18 in 31 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/08 @ BKN 93-100 — LAC notes
LAC lost 93-100. LAC shot 40% (36 of 91) to BKN's 40%, 8 of 36 from three. George led with 24 (7 of 20, 2 of 10 from three, 8 of 8 at the line); Leonard added 17, Westbrook 13. Q1 was theirs, 21-13, but the other 3 periods went 87-72 against them. Harden's -15 in 36 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/10 @ DAL 126-144 — LAC notes
LAC lost 126-144. LAC shot 49% (43 of 88) to DAL's 52%, 8 of 27 from three, and went to the line 36 times to DAL's 26 — 32 points from the stripe to their 23. LAC turned it over 14 times to DAL's 8. Leonard led with 26 (8 of 15, 2 of 4 from three, 8 of 8 at the line); Hyland added 17, Harden 14. Q4 was theirs, 37-29, the deficit cut from 26 to 18, but the other 3 periods went 115-89 against them. They led by as many as 12. N. Powell's -35 in 11 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/12 vs MEM 101-105 — LAC notes
LAC lost 101-105. LAC shot 44% (37 of 85) to MEM's 42%, 12 of 34 from three. George led with 26 (8 of 16, 3 of 7 from three, 7 of 9 at the line); Powell added 20, Leonard 14. Q4 was theirs, 33-26, the deficit cut from 11 to 4, but the other 3 periods went 79-68 against them. Harden's -28 in 29 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/14 @ DEN 108-111 — LAC notes
LAC lost 108-111. LAC took 13 more shots (86 to 73), fed by 14 offensive rebounds, but shot 43% to DEN's 53%, 13 of 29 from three, and got to the line 24 times to DEN's 32. George led with 35 (13 of 26, 4 of 11 from three); Harden added 21, Leonard 15. Q3 was theirs, 32-24, the deficit cut from 8 to 0, but the other 3 periods went 87-76 against them. Tucker's -7 in 21 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/17 vs HOU — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Clippers come in 0-5 over their last five, scoring 105 a night and allowing 114, shooting 45 percent and 33 from three, 22 free throws a game; George at 21 and Leonard at 18 a game. That is 5 straight losses. Without Coffey (2 straight). 2 days' rest. Houston comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 97, shooting 48 percent and 37 from three, 25 free throws a game; Sengun at 20 and Ja. Green at 19 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Without Thompson (5 straight), Whitmore (3 straight). 4 days' rest.
So: Houston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Houston allowing 97 a night to the Clippers' 114 and the turnovers, the Clippers giving it away 15 times a game to Houston's 10. Call it Houston 112, the Clippers 106.
11/20 @ SAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
San Antonio comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 121, shooting 44 percent and 38 from three, 18 free throws a game; Wembanyama at 20 and Vassell at 18 a game. That is 5 straight losses. Without Vassell (2 straight). One day's rest. The Clippers come in 1-4 over their last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 112, shooting 44 percent and 34 from three, 25 free throws a game; George at 23 and Leonard at 20 a game. Without Coffey (3 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: The Clippers win, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, the Clippers allowing 112 a night to San Antonio's 121 and the line, where the Clippers take 25 free throws a game to San Antonio's 18. Call it the Clippers 115, San Antonio 112, San Antonio keeping it close.
11/22 @ SAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
San Antonio comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 105 a night and allowing 123, shooting 44 percent and 36 from three, 17 free throws a game; Johnson at 21 and Collins at 17 a game. That is 5 straight losses. Without Vassell (3 straight). One day's rest. The Clippers come in 2-3 over their last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 112, shooting 45 percent and 36 from three, 28 free throws a game; George at 24 and Leonard at 20 a game. One day's rest.
So: The Clippers win, on the road, and the game turns on the line, where the Clippers take 28 free throws a game to San Antonio's 17 and the turnovers, San Antonio giving it away 17 times a game to the Clippers' 11. Call it the Clippers 117, San Antonio 111.
11/24 vs NOP — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Clippers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 103, shooting 45 percent and 37 from three, 26 free throws a game; George at 27 and Leonard at 20 a game. That is 3 straight wins. One day's rest. New Orleans comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 122 a night and allowing 109, shooting 51 percent and 39 from three, 26 free throws a game; Ingram at 26 and Williamson at 24 a game. It has won the glass by 4 a night. Without McCollum (9 straight). One day's rest.
So: The Clippers win, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it the Clippers 113, New Orleans 111, New Orleans keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
DENAG A. Gordon
CB C. Braun
JH J. Holiday
JP J. Pickett
JO Jokic
KC K. Caldwell-Pope
MP M. Porter Jr.
NJ N. Jokić
PW P. Watson
RJ R. Jackson
ZN Z. Nnaji
LACIZ I. Zubac
JH J. Harden
KL K. Leonard
NP N. Powell
PG P. George
PT P. Tucker
RW R. Westbrook
TM T. Mann
DEN/LAC the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Nikola Jokic scores 32, Nuggets win 111-108 to keep the Clippers winless with James Harden
DENVER -- — Nikola Jokic had 32 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists, and the Denver Nuggets beat Los Angeles 111-108 in an NBA In-Season Tournament game on Tuesday night, keeping the Clippers winless since acquiring James Harden last month.
Jokic was perfect on 14 free throw attempts, including two with 13 seconds left that helped the Nuggets hold off the Clippers’ comeback try.
Los Angeles has lost five straight with Harden, who was acquired on Oct. 30, and six in a row overall despite the 34-year-old guard’s best game with his new team since arriving from Philadelphia.
“I kept reiterating, I didn’t have a training camp or a preseason, so kind of learning on the fly,” Harden said. “Also getting myself into James Harden shape. Tonight was definitely another step in the right direction and just keep improving.”
Harden scored 21 points and Paul George tied a season high with 35 points as Los Angeles fell to 0-2 in West Group B play.
“I thought we played great. It’s tough, the adversity of playing against the extra three,” George said of the officiating. “I thought they were awful but, the defending champs, we’ve got to play better.
“So many times I got hit on layups, 3-pointers. It was constant. Jump shots, getting hit, smacked on the forearm. It was a poor job.”
Aaron Gordon scored 20 points and Reggie Jackson 18 for Denver, which has won both of its games in the West B bracket.
The Nuggets were without point guard Jamal Murray for the fourth straight game. He is expected to miss the rest of the month with his strained right hamstring.
Denver appeared to have sealed the game when Jokic fed Gordon for a dunk and a 109-104 lead with 50 seconds left. Jackson missed two free throws with 32 seconds remaining and Kawhi Leonard hit two from the line before coming up with his fifth steal, which led to George’s layup with 15 seconds left.
After Jokic’s free throws, George’s 3-point attempt wedged between the rim and backboard. The Nuggets won the jump ball and held on as time expired.
“Today they played well but we played well enough to get a (win),” Jackson said.
Harden got aggressive at the end of third, going around Jalen Pickett for a layup, hitting two free throws and draining a 3-pointer with 4.7 seconds left in the period to give the Clippers an 84-81 lead. Gordon hit 31-footer at the horn to tie it heading into the fourth.
Los Angeles took a 99-92 lead on Leonard’s fadeaway midway through the fourth.
“They’re still figuring it out. You can see it, they’ve got a lot of talents that overlap,” Jackson said of the Clippers’ four stars. “When you have superstars, superstars can do a lot of things. They gave us a great punch tonight.”
UP NEXT
Clippers: Host the Houston Rockets on Friday night in their third tournament game.
Nuggets: At the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night for their first road game of the tournament.