The Nuggets are now on the outside looking in as they lost a heart breaker against the Clippers.
The Denver Nuggets came in unprepared for the red hot Los Angeles Clippers. They were undisciplined and looked sluggish from the opening tip off in the Staples Center. Whether or not they were on a back to back is beside the point, they are now paying the price for complacency.
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Despite the Pelicans and Blazers losing, Denver fell down to the ninth spot in the Western Conference standings as the Clippers took their place in the post season chase.
The Mason Plumlee-Nikola Jokic starting rotation has to go as it is not effective at all. It makes things on the offensive end much too crowded and does not utilize Jokic’s skill set. We learned last year Jokic cannot play power forward, so why is Malone putting him back in this spot while starting Plumlee at the center spot? It is baffling for many fans. The defintion of insanity and doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.
Montrezl Harrell was made to look like a star in this game as the Nuggets interior defense was less than average. Not to mention, Blake Griffin had a double double consisting of 20 points and 12 rebounds over the Joker.
Despite 15 lead changes, the momentum seemed to favor the Clippers early on, despite the teams swapping runs back and forth. Gary Harris had a hot first half, but was held in check in the second half. He did not have a single point in the second half until late in the fourth quarter when the team was desperately trying to find a miracle in the waning minutes.
It was a heart breaker, but we have to remember there is still some time to get back on track before April.