Notes From The Clippers and Nuggets Game

It was a playoff type atmosphere on Wednesday night in front a nearly backed house at the Pepsi Center. As the game was important to both teams. The win helps the Los Angeles Clippers move two games ahead of the Memphis Grizzlies, while the loss pushed the Denver Nuggets back down to the 7th-seed in the West.

• Former Nuggets power forward Kenyon Martin received a nice recognition before the game. He paused during shootaround to see some old Nuggets clips of him play on the Jumbotron.
• Maybe because they were on the road, but the Clippers team seemed a little more spirited, talkative and united than the Nuggets. Even the younger players like Trey Thompkins and DeAndre Jordan took the layup line seriously. And throughout the game the Clippers huddled during every dead-ball.
• From the start the Nuggets weren’t going to let Los Angeles have anything easy. They cut off lanes to the basket and wouldn’t let the ball enter the paint to Blake Griffin. Shooting guard Randy Foye scored the Clippers first five points.
• Ty Lawson won the battle at point guard to start the game. Nobody on the Clippers could stay in front of Lawson who found lanes to the basket early. He scored nine points in the opening quarter on 4 of 5 shooting.
• The Nuggets started the game with Lawson defending Paul until Corey Brewer came in midway through the first quarter. Andre Miller also saw time on Paul and Arron Afflalo closed the game defending the Clippers’ point guard.
• While the Nuggets got rolling early, Danilo Gallinari really struggled. He had two turnovers in the first and missed a trey before getting taken out for Brewer.
• Kosta Koufos hung around the basket throughout the game and it paid off. He scored six points in the first quarter off of putbacks and finding open spots for teammates to find him the ball. Koufos finished the game with 12 points and nine rebounds.
• Nick Young and Mo Williams helped trim the Nuggets lead in the second quarter, as the duo combined to go on a 10-2 run and cut Denver’s lead to four and forced George Karl to take a timeout.
• Caron Butler looked sleep-deprived, but he still scored 14 points.
• The Clippers weren’t too worried about the Nuggets length as they went with Griffin and Martin together late.
• Koufos sent Griffin to the floor with a hard foul in the second half. Griffin didn’t make his first basket until late in the second half. He finished the first half with eight points.
• Chris Paul’s runner helped the Clippers cut the Nuggets lead to 54-47 at the half.
• The Clippers started the second half with more energy, Foye scored five quick points.
• Kenneth Faried spoiled Blake Griffin’s fast-break dunk with a block and a little harm. Griffin would miss both free throws. Griffin would than miss another dunk attempt on the next possession.
• Denver struggled out of the gate in the second half, they turned the ball over twice and missed a pair of threes as Los Angeles started the second half on an 11-2 run.
• Jordan and JaVale McGee saw some time against each other in the third quarter. Both have similar games, great shot-blockers and have a subpar offensive game. Both big man had four points in the quarter.
• Denver went on a 10-1 run late in the third quarter. Lawson stole an inbound pass for a basket and Corey Brewer capped the run off with a Brewer block and breakaway dunk.
• The Nuggets started to lose control in the fourth. Lawson, Afflalo, Gallinari and Faried spent some time talking to each other after some missed opportunities in the fourth.
• Martin made a point to talk to his former teammates throughout the game. He could be seen talking to Al Harrington, Andre Miller, Gallinari and Arron Afflalo. And after the game, he ran across the court to hug both Chris Andersen and Koufos.