Well, that was certainly not the result the Nuggets or their fans were expecting. Another clutch loss, to a team they should have beaten, in a game they should have won. Injuries may have riddled them this season, but the Nuggets can't win the close games as they have in the past. And if you can't close out games, you aren't going to win a championship, either. It's a massive problem for a team that still has aspirations of another title.
The Nuggets opened the final stretch of the season in Los Angeles against the Clippers with another gut-wrenching, one-point loss, 115-114. A game the Nuggets led most of the way, but kept letting the Clippers right back into it. They'd get a 10-point lead, only to let the Clippers go on a 9-0 run.
And then, in the clutch, it all fell apart. Again. A story that has been developing is now the biggest dark spot for a team that's not used to losing like this. The Nuggets are just 14-14 in clutch games. The NBA-leading Pistons are 23-9, the Spurs are 19-10. The Nuggets would be equal with those Spurs for the two seed in the West if three games go differently. Something Denver fans are used to.
There's still more to unpack from this one
Jamal Murray even got bailed out with under one second left on the clock, down three, attempting a three-pointer. He calmly hit the first two free throws before bricking the game-tying attempt. This is now the second time in a matter of weeks we've seen this scenario, and the Nuggets have come out the loser both times. We aren't used to seeing this sort of thing out of Murray, and it's a bit unnerving that it's happened two times now.
There was poor defense again in the clutch, too. Of course, there was. The Nuggets haven't been rotating well, and teams have been burying open buckets. If you give guys open looks, they're going to make you pay. Bennedict Mathurin scored a season-high 38 off the bench, doing his best James Harden impersonation, in only his fifth game for the Clippers. The Nuggets couldn't stop him.
The bench was mostly non-existent in this one as well. Spencer Jones, Jonas Valanciunas, and Tim Hardaway Jr. combined for a total of 8 points on 4-11 shooting.
There were still bright spots
Glaring problems aside, there were a couple of good things to come from the game. Namely, the play of Julian Strawther in the starting lineup and Bruce Brown off the bench.
Strawther's been huge since his promotion to the starting unit. He hit a couple of threes early in the game to set the tone, and he didn't shy away from them the rest of the way. Strawther finished with 18 points on 6-10 shooting from downtown.
Unfortunately, it was noticeable when he was off the floor. Strawther played just 25 minutes while the other core four, Nikola Jokic, Murray, Christian Braun, and Cam Johnson all played 34-36 minutes. He needs more floor time, especially if he's shooting that well.
Bruce Brown had 19 points off the bench in 25 minutes, matching a season-high. But it still wasn't enough.
The Nuggets have got to hammer down the close games. Until they do, Nuggets fans are going to need a pack of antacid tablets to make it through the fourth quarter.