Game ID: 22400314
Denver Nuggets @ LA Clippers
Sunday, December 1, 2024 at 10:00 PM ET
Intuit Dome, Inglewood, CA
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
LAC 32 27 33 34 126DEN 23 36 31 32 122
DEN @ LAC ScoutingDEN @ 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.
LAC availability going into 11/24 · 1 day's restOUT Powell missed 2 since 11/20, out tonight
OUT Hyland missed 4 since 11/17, returns tonight: 6 min (50% of 11)
BACK Miller back 11/20 after 2, 14 min since (134% of 11)
LAC availability going into 11/25 · back-to-backOUT Powell missed 3 since 11/20, out tonight
BACK Hyland back 11/24 after 4, 6 min since (50% of 11)
BACK Miller back 11/20 after 2, 17 min since (160% of 11)
LAC availability going into 11/27 · 1 day's restOUT Powell missed 4 since 11/20, out tonight
BACK Hyland back 11/24 after 4, 9 min since (79% of 11)
BACK Miller back 11/20 after 2, 18 min since (166% of 11)
LAC availability going into 11/29 · 1 day's restOUT Powell missed 5 since 11/20, out tonight
BACK Hyland back 11/24 after 4, 8 min since (75% of 11)
BACK Miller back 11/20 after 2, 18 min since (170% of 11)
LAC availability going into 12/01 · 1 day's restOUT Powell missed 6 since 11/20, returns tonight: 24 min (75% of 33)
BACK Hyland back 11/24 after 4, 8 min since (75% of 11)
NEW Miller 11 to 17 min over the last 5
LAC availability going into 12/03 · 1 day's restOUT Hyland missed 2 since 11/29, returns tonight: 7 min (59% of 11)
BACK Powell back 12/01 after 6, 24 min since (75% of 33)
NEW Miller 11 to 18 min over the last 5
LAC availability going into 12/04 · back-to-backOUT Porter Jr. missed 2 since 12/01, out tonight
BACK Powell back 12/01 after 6, 25 min since (76% of 33)
BACK Hyland back 12/03 after 2, 7 min since (59% of 11)
NEW Miller 11 to 18 min over the last 5
LAC availability going into 12/08 · 3 days' restOUT Porter Jr. missed 3 since 12/01, returns tonight: 37 min (191% of 20)
BACK Powell back 12/01 after 6, 25 min since (76% of 33)
BACK Hyland back 12/03 after 2, 15 min since (133% of 11)
NEW Miller 11 to 19 min over the last 5
LAC availability going into 12/13 · 4 days' restOUT Mann missed 2 since 12/04, out tonight
BACK Powell back 12/01 after 6, 28 min since (86% of 33)
BACK Porter Jr. back 12/08 after 3, 37 min since (191% of 20)
BACK Hyland back 12/03 after 2, 19 min since (172% of 11)
NEW Miller 11 to 21 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 11/22 · 2 days' restOUT Jokić missed 3 since 11/15, returns tonight: 40 min (106% of 37)
OUT Gordon missed 6 since 11/06, out tonight
OUT Pickett missed 7 since 11/04, out tonight
BACK Murray back 11/08 after 3, 38 min since (102% of 37)
BACK Šarić back 11/15 after 5, 28 min since (215% of 13)
BACK Jordan back 11/17 after 4, 11 min since (96% of 12)
NEW Watson 23 to 31 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 11/23 · back-to-backOUT Gordon missed 7 since 11/06, out tonight
OUT Pickett missed 8 since 11/04, out tonight
BACK Jokić back 11/22 after 3, 40 min since (106% of 37)
BACK Šarić back 11/15 after 5, 22 min since (168% of 13)
BACK Jordan back 11/17 after 4, 9 min since (78% of 12)
NEW Watson 23 to 32 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 11/25 · 1 day's restOUT Gordon missed 8 since 11/06, out tonight
OUT Pickett missed 9 since 11/04, out tonight
BACK Jokić back 11/22 after 3, 38 min since (102% of 37)
BACK Šarić back 11/15 after 5, 18 min since (141% of 13)
BACK Jordan back 11/17 after 4, 8 min since (68% of 12)
NEW Watson 23 to 31 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 11/27 · 1 day's restOUT Gordon missed 9 since 11/06, out tonight
OUT Pickett missed 10 since 11/04, out tonight
BACK Jokić back 11/22 after 3, 36 min since (96% of 37)
BACK Jordan back 11/17 after 4, 9 min since (79% of 12)
NEW Watson 23 to 30 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 12/01 · 3 days' restOUT Gordon missed 10 since 11/06, returns tonight: 24 min (79% of 30)
OUT Šarić missed 2 since 11/25, out tonight
OUT Pickett missed 11 since 11/04, out tonight
BACK Jokić back 11/22 after 3, 35 min since (95% of 37)
NEW Watson 23 to 30 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 12/03 · 1 day's restOUT Šarić missed 3 since 11/25, out tonight
OUT Pickett missed 12 since 11/04, out tonight
BACK Jokić back 11/22 after 3, 36 min since (97% of 37)
BACK Gordon back 12/01 after 10, 24 min since (79% of 30)
NEW Watson 23 to 31 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 12/05 · 1 day's restOUT Šarić missed 4 since 11/25, out tonight
OUT Pickett missed 13 since 11/04, out tonight
OUT Jordan missed 2 since 12/01, out tonight
BACK Gordon back 12/01 after 10, 28 min since (94% of 30)
DEN availability going into 12/07 · 1 day's restOUT Šarić missed 5 since 11/25, out tonight
OUT Pickett missed 14 since 11/04, returns tonight: 16 min (124% of 13)
OUT Jordan missed 3 since 12/01, returns tonight: 9 min (81% of 12)
BACK Gordon back 12/01 after 10, 30 min since (100% of 30)
DEN availability going into 12/08 · back-to-backOUT Šarić missed 6 since 11/25, out tonight
BACK Gordon back 12/01 after 10, 30 min since (100% of 30)
BACK Pickett back 12/07 after 14, 16 min since (124% of 13)
BACK Jordan back 12/07 after 3, 9 min since (81% of 12)
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 107 a night and allowing 100, shooting 47 percent and 31 from three, 18 free throws a game; Harden at 25 and Zubac at 17 a game. Without Powell (6 straight). One day's rest. Denver comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 122 a night and allowing 117, shooting 51 percent and 40 from three, 24 free throws a game; Jokić at 30 and Porter Jr. at 20 a game. Without Gordon (10 straight). 3 days' rest.
So: The Clippers win, and the game turns on the defense, the Clippers allowing 100 a night to Denver's 117 and the arc, Denver at 40 percent from three to the Clippers' 31. Call it the Clippers 113, Denver 111, Denver keeping it close.
11/24 @ PHI 125-99 — LAC notes
LAC won 125-99. LAC shot 58% (47 of 81) to PHI's 40%, 12 of 30 from three. The glass went 44-33 for them. Harden led with 23 (4 of 10, 3 of 7 from three, 12 of 12 at the line); Jones Jr. added 18, Zubac 16. The hinge was Q3, 35-22: a lead of 12 became 25, and the lead reached 33. Dunn was the night's best plus/minus at +38.
11/25 @ BOS 94-126 — LAC notes
LAC lost 94-126. LAC shot 43% (39 of 90) to BOS's 51%, 7 of 26 from three, and got to the line 13 times to BOS's 20. Zubac led with 23 (11 of 14); Harden added 19, Jones Jr. 11. Q3 was theirs, 29-21, the deficit cut from 29 to 21, but the other 3 periods went 105-65 against them. Porter Jr.'s -27 in 17 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/27 @ WAS 121-96 — LAC notes
LAC won 121-96. LAC shot 51% (45 of 89) to WAS's 41%, 12 of 33 from three. LAC turned it over 13 times to WAS's 20. Harden led with 43 (13 of 22, 7 of 11 from three, 10 of 11 at the line); Zubac added 18, Miller 15. The hinge was Q1, 37-26: from level to 11 ahead, and the lead reached 33. Zubac was the night's best plus/minus at +30.
11/29 @ MIN 92-93 — LAC notes
LAC lost 92-93. LAC took 9 more shots (84 to 75), but shot 43% to MIN's 41%, 10 of 31 from three, and got to the line 13 times to MIN's 20. LAC turned it over 15 times to MIN's 21. The glass went 39-49 against them. Harden led with 20 (7 of 20, 3 of 9 from three); Porter Jr. added 17, Zubac 16. Q4 was theirs, 24-21, the deficit cut from 4 to 1, but the other 3 periods went 72-68 against them. Dunn's -8 in 27 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/01 vs DEN 126-122 — LAC notes
LAC won 126-122. LAC shot 48% (43 of 90) to DEN's 58%, 18 of 39 from three, and went to the line 27 times to DEN's 19 — 22 points from the stripe to their 10. Harden led with 39 (10 of 26, 6 of 15 from three, 13 of 13 at the line); Powell added 28, Mann 15. The hinge was Q1, 32-23: from level to 9 ahead. Harden was the night's best plus/minus at +14.
12/03 vs POR — 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 112 a night and allowing 107, shooting 48 percent and 37 from three, 21 free throws a game; Harden at 29 and Zubac at 16 a game. One day's rest. Portland comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 117, shooting 46 percent and 37 from three, 20 free throws a game; Simons at 22 and Ayton at 20 a game. Without Henderson (2 straight), Thybulle (21 straight), Clingan (4 straight). One day's rest.
So: The Clippers win, and the game turns on the defense, the Clippers allowing 107 a night to Portland's 117. Call it the Clippers 114, Portland 108.
12/04 vs MIN — 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 112 a night and allowing 108, shooting 48 percent and 40 from three, 19 free throws a game; Harden at 29 and Zubac at 14 a game. Without Porter Jr. (2 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Minnesota comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 104 a night and allowing 102, shooting 44 percent and 35 from three, 21 free throws a game; Edwards at 23 and Randle at 19 a game. One day's rest.
So: The Clippers win, and the game turns on the arc, the Clippers at 40 percent from three to Minnesota's 35 and the defense, Minnesota allowing 102 a night to the Clippers' 108. Call it the Clippers 109, Minnesota 107, Minnesota keeping it close.
12/08 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 3-2 over their last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 105, shooting 46 percent and 39 from three, 19 free throws a game; Harden at 26 and Coffey at 12 a game. Without Porter Jr. (3 straight). 3 days' rest. Houston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 112, shooting 43 percent and 34 from three, 26 free throws a game; Sengun at 21 and VanVleet at 21 a game. Without Whitmore (7 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: The Clippers win, and the game turns on the line, where Houston takes 26 free throws a game to the Clippers' 19 and the defense, the Clippers allowing 105 a night to Houston's 112. Call it the Clippers 110, Houston 109, Houston keeping it close.
12/13 @ DEN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Denver comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 122 a night and allowing 120, shooting 53 percent and 35 from three, 25 free throws a game; Jokić at 39 and Porter Jr. at 20 a game. Without Murray (2 straight). 4 days' rest. The Clippers come in 2-3 over their last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 109, shooting 45 percent and 38 from three, 17 free throws a game; Powell at 25 and Harden at 22 a game. They have lost the glass by 4 a night. Without Mann (2 straight). 4 days' rest.
So: Denver wins, and the game turns on the defense, the Clippers allowing 109 a night to Denver's 120 and the line, where Denver takes 25 free throws a game to the Clippers' 17. Call it Denver 115, the Clippers 112, the Clippers keeping it close.
11/22 vs DAL 120-123 — DEN notes
DEN lost 120-123. DEN shot 48% (43 of 90) to DAL's 51%, 15 of 29 from three. Jokić led with 33 (13 of 22, 5 of 7 at the line); Porter Jr. added 17, Braun 17. Q3 was theirs, 36-22, the deficit cut from 20 to 6, but the other 3 periods went 101-84 against them.
11/23 @ LAL 127-102 — DEN notes
DEN won 127-102. DEN shot 61% (50 of 82) to LAL's 44%, 16 of 32 from three. The glass went 48-32 for them. Jokić led with 34 (12 of 20, 3 of 7 from three, 7 of 8 at the line); Porter Jr. added 24, Braun 16. The hinge was Q3, 37-15: DEN came in trailing by 6 and left it ahead by 16, and the lead reached 29. DEN trailed 57-63 at the half and won the second half 70-39. Jokić was the night's best plus/minus at +39.
11/25 vs NYK 118-145 — DEN notes
DEN lost 118-145. DEN shot 45% (41 of 92) to NYK's 61%, 11 of 33 from three, and went to the line 27 times to NYK's 16 — 25 points from the stripe to their 14. The glass went 33-43 against them. Westbrook led with 27 (9 of 16, 4 of 7 from three); Jokić added 22, Murray 20. Q4 was theirs, 31-32, but the other 3 periods went 113-87 against them. Jokić's -20 in 32 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/27 @ UTA 122-103 — DEN notes
DEN won 122-103. DEN shot 55% (46 of 84) to UTA's 42%, 11 of 33 from three. DEN turned it over 10 times to UTA's 18. Jokić led with 30 (13 of 19, 2 of 3 from three); Murray added 22, Porter Jr. 19. The hinge was Q3, 37-23: a lead of 10 became 24. Jokić was the night's best plus/minus at +20.
12/01 @ LAC 122-126 — DEN notes
DEN lost 122-126. DEN shot 58% (51 of 88) to LAC's 48%, 10 of 24 from three, and got to the line 19 times to LAC's 27. Jokić led with 28 (12 of 24, 2 of 7 from three); Murray added 18, Porter Jr. 18. Q2 was theirs, 36-27, the deficit cut from 9 to 0, but the other 3 periods went 99-86 against them. They led by as many as 10.
12/03 vs GSW — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Denver comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 122 a night and allowing 120, shooting 53 percent and 42 from three, 23 free throws a game; Jokić at 29 and Porter Jr. at 19 a game. One day's rest. Golden State comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 112, shooting 42 percent and 35 from three, 20 free throws a game; Curry at 21 and Wiggins at 20 a game. That is 4 straight losses. Without Post (7 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Denver wins, and the game turns on the arc, Denver at 42 percent from three to Golden State's 35 and the defense, Golden State allowing 112 a night to Denver's 120. Call it Denver 117, Golden State 113, Golden State keeping it close.
12/05 @ 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 116 a night and allowing 112, shooting 47 percent and 36 from three, 22 free throws a game; Mitchell at 24 and Garland at 20 a game. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. One day's rest. Denver comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 122 a night and allowing 118, shooting 54 percent and 40 from three, 25 free throws a game; Jokić at 30 and Porter Jr. at 20 a game. One day's rest.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the arc, Denver at 40 percent from three to Cleveland's 36 and the defense, Cleveland allowing 112 a night to Denver's 118. Call it Cleveland 119, Denver 115, Denver keeping it close.
12/07 @ WAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Washington comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 101 a night and allowing 125, shooting 42 percent and 26 from three, 23 free throws a game; Brogdon at 17 and Poole at 16 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Kuzma (3 straight). One day's rest. Denver comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 123, shooting 51 percent and 36 from three, 25 free throws a game; Jokić at 29 and Porter Jr. at 20 a game. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. One day's rest.
So: Denver wins, on the road, and the game turns on the arc, Denver at 36 percent from three to Washington's 26. Call it Denver 120, Washington 113.
12/08 @ ATL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Atlanta comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 111, shooting 49 percent and 34 from three, 22 free throws a game; Hunter at 22 and Young at 19 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has won the glass by 10 a night. Without Nance Jr. (10 straight), Mathews (3 straight), Wallace (10 straight). One day's rest. Denver comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 118, shooting 52 percent and 33 from three, 25 free throws a game; Jokić at 36 and Porter Jr. at 19 a game. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Atlanta wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Atlanta has been plus-10 a night and Denver minus-3 and the defense, Atlanta allowing 111 a night to Denver's 118. Call it Atlanta 120, Denver 115.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
LACAC A. Coffey
DJ D. Jones Jr.
IZ I. Zubac
JH J. Harden
JM J. Miller
KD K. Dunn
MB M. Bamba
NB N. Batum
NP N. Powell
TM T. Mann
DENAG A. Gordon
CB C. Braun
JM J. Murray
JS J. Strawther
MP M. Porter Jr.
NJ N. Jokić
PW P. Watson
RW R. Westbrook
LAC/DEN 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
Harden scores 37 and Clippers overcome Jokic's triple-double to beat Nuggets 126-122
INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- — James Harden scored 39 points — making all 13 of his free throws — and the Los Angeles Clippers overcame Nikola Jokic’s triple-double to beat the Denver Nuggets 126-122 on Sunday night.
Jokic finished with 28 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists for his eighth triple-double of the season.
Harden narrowly missed a triple-double of his own, finishing with nine rebounds and 11 assists.
Norman Powell added 28 points for the Clippers in his return after missing six games because of an injury.
Harden made three 3-pointers in the first half, giving him 3,000 in his career.
The Clippers made three consecutive 3-pointers early in the fourth to lead by seven. Jokic hit a 3-pointer and fed Aaron Gordon for a dunk to draw the Nuggets within one.
After the Clippers went up by seven, Harden turned the ball over under pressure by Gordon in his return from injury. The Nuggets missed their first shot, got the offensive rebound and Christian Braun scored, leaving them trailing 123-121 with 19 seconds remaining.
The Nuggets opened the third with a 21-11 run to put the Clippers down 10. But Los Angeles rallied behind six 3-pointers — three each by Harden and Powell — to lead 92-90 going into the fourth.
Takeaways Nuggets: They've now lost twice to the Clippers.
Clippers: They twice owned leads of 11 points in the first two quarters only to watch Denver tie it at halftime. But they stayed steady down the stretch, making 8 of 9 free throws.
Key moment Jokic was 2 of 4 from the free-throw line, missing a crucial one with 9 seconds to go and the Nuggets down by three.
Key stat The Clippers made 17 3-pointers while the Nuggets only attempted 21 from long range.
Up next Nuggets host Golden State and Los Angeles hosts Portland in NBA Cup games on Tuesday night.