The Denver Nuggets on Monday were without the three indispensable cogs of last season’s championship run. Denver has now won 11 of the last 12 games against the Clippers, who fell to 7-9. Leonard looked at his most comfortable offensively in weeks by scoring 31 points, but he took 26 shots. To say the issues were offensive only, however, would have overlooked how the Clippers’ defense against pick-and-rolls made Jackson look like Murray, and Jordan like Jokic. The Clippers found a way to avoid such possessions in the fourth quarter by repeatedly fouling Jordan, a 47% free-throw shooter for his career, in the Hack-A-Jordan strategy the Clippers once loathed when the 7-footer was on their roster.

Source: Los Angeles Times November 28, 2023 07:10 UTC