Los Angeles Clippers aim to reduce turnovers against the Denver Nuggets in Game 2
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Kawhi Leonard (left) had seven of the Los Angeles Clippers' 20 turnovers in their 112-110 overtime Western Conference first round series Game 1 loss.
PHOTO: AFP
DENVER – The Los Angeles Clippers did a lot of things right in Game 1 of their National Basketball Association (NBA) Western Conference first-round play-off series, but one area cost them the win against the Denver Nuggets.
Los Angeles had 20 turnovers on April 19, including seven by Kawhi Leonard, in a 112-110 overtime loss. Because it was just one issue, the team are encouraged and not discouraged heading into Game 2 on April 21 (April 22, Singapore time) in Denver.
“We’re in good shape; we just have to do what we’re supposed to do,” said Clippers coach Tyronn Lue.
Lue does not plan to make any adjustments to his rotation after his team dictated the tempo and held the Nuggets to 49 points in the first half.
He said on April 20: “We have another half of what we did (on April 19). If it doesn’t work, something will be done.”
What was working was James Harden’s play, Ivica Zubac’s presence inside and Leonard’s 22 points on nine-for-15 shooting.
The Clippers attacked the rim early in the game, producing 36 points in the paint by half-time, but went away from that strategy at times in the second half.
Those missteps have not shaken their belief. They know a win on April 21 means they head home with control of the best-of-seven series.
“It’s confidence, confidence is always going to be there,” Harden said.
“It’s a little frustrating just because it is self-inflicted and it is something that we have been really good at these last few weeks.
“It’s even keel, we will come back in Game 2 and be even better.”
Denver are also confident after playing a somewhat chaotic game, yet grinding out the win.
Nikola Jokic (29 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds) did his part, but the key was Russell Westbrook. He hit a big three-pointer late in the fourth quarter and made a big defensive play in the final seconds of overtime.
Westbrook was on the floor for the last 13-plus minutes while Michael Porter Jr was on the bench.
Porter hit a three on the Nuggets’ first possession, then took only three more shots the rest of the game and did not score again.
His struggles to find space on offence led interim coach David Adelman to deploy a better defensive line-up to close out the game.
“I think the five guys that finished did their job and we won this game defensively,” Adelman said.
While Porter is a better shooter, he sat for a long time and would have been cold coming in for overtime.
“There’s two ways to look at that,” Adelman said on not subbing in Porter for the closing minutes. “You can say – well, I chose not to play Michael. Or, you can say – should I put Michael in a really unfair situation? Should I do that to him? I don’t think so.”
Los Angeles’ defence had something to do with Porter not getting many opportunities. Should it continue in Game 2, that means the Clippers will see more of Westbrook.
Meanwhile, on April 20, Stephen Curry scored a game-high 31 points and Jimmy Butler added 25 as the visiting Golden State Warriors held off the Houston Rockets 95-85 in Game 1 of their Western Conference first-round series.
Also in the West, the Oklahoma City Thunder destroyed the Memphis Grizzlies 131-80 in the most lopsided Game 1 win in NBA play-off history.
The Thunder’s 51-point margin of victory was even more remarkable, given that Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had his statistically worst performance of the season – managing just 15 points, five assists and three rebounds.
It came on the day when the Canadian was named as a finalist for this season’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) award, alongside three-time MVP Jokic and two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks.
In the East, Donovan Mitchell had 30 points and Ty Jerome scored 16 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter as the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers pulled away for a 121-100 victory over the visiting Miami Heat in Game 1.
Their conference rivals and reigning champions the Boston Celtics recorded a 103-86 victory over the visiting Orlando Magic in Game 1, with Derrick White making seven threes to tally a team-high 30 points. REUTERS
