The Clippers are down 1-0 after a brutal Game One defeat, and need to get their act together quickly if they’re going to have any chance in this series.
Game Information
Where: Ball Arena, Denver, Colorado
When: 7:00 PM PT
How to Watch: TNT, FanDuel Sports SoCal, AM 570
Projected Starting Lineups
Clippers: James Harden – Norm Powell – Kris Dunn – Kawhi Leonard – Ivica Zubac
Nuggets: Jamal Murray – Christian Braun – Michael Porter Jr. – Aaron Gordon – Nikola Jokic
Injuries
Clippers: None
Nuggets: Da’Ron Holmes Out (Achilles)
Notes
Punish Russ: The Nuggets’ hero in Game 1 was Russell Westbrook. As we have seen time and again over the years (including on the Clippers), playing Russell Westbrook big minutes means turning the entire game into the Russell Westbrook experience, and the Nuggets got just enough great plays to overcome the mind-boggling ones in the first one. Russ will mix in excellent plays with awful ones when given enough time – and the Nuggets really have very few options but to play him real minutes. The Clippers’ strategy of giving him wide open threes is a smart one, but they need to make the Nuggets pay for playing him in other ways. Specifically, if they box out better and rebound stronger, they can punish Russ for continuously crashing the offensive glass by having numbers in transition. Additionally, they have to know that Russ will gamble for steals and go for homerun plays on defense, and need to ensure that whoever he’s guarding is constantly moving to make Russ work and try to exploit his weak off-ball play. The Clippers seemed to overreact to Russ playing in Game 1 in an overly obvious way with their defensive coverages, and I’d like to them dial that back in Game 2 while still concentrating on the things he does that can backfire.
Feed Zu: Ivica Zubac got up 15 shots in Game 1, and honestly, I don’t think that’s enough in this series. He made 10 of those 15 shots and looked very comfortable operating against Nikola Jokic as well as smaller defenders when he got the switch. Considering how off Kawhi and Norm were in Game 1, Zu probably should have received a larger share of the offense than he did. This is especially true considering Jokic was in (minor) foul trouble throughout the game and was probably not going to be able to defend Zu in the post to his fullest extent. The Clippers should not feed Zu in the post on every possession, as he’s still at his best with Harden in the pick and roll, but he’s been so good on offense this year that I do think they need to make an effort to feature him more in the offense. And, if Kawhi and Norm continue to struggle, he should absolutely be the second-leading shot getter behind Harden.
Stay out of Foul Trouble: Outside of turnovers, one of the biggest reasons the Clippers lost Game 1 was putting the Nuggets at the line too frequently. The Clippers committed 25 fouls to the Nuggets 18, and gave the Nuggets 27 free throws to 16 of their own. The Clippers’ defense was mostly sound, but the fouling was endemic across the roster and was costly, giving the Nuggets an effective nine-point advantage. Defending without fouling is easier to say than it is to do, of course, but that’s something that I’m sure the Clippers coaching staff will be drilling into the team today and tomorrow.
More Urgency: At the end of the day, the Nuggets just outworked the Clippers in Game 1. They were more careful with the ball, they rotated harder on defense, and they got to loose balls quicker. That can’t be the case in Game 2 – if the Clippers fall behind 2-0, the series won’t be over, but it will be in a very bad spot for them. At the very least, the Clippers can control their effort and energy, and expend it more thoroughly tonight. They have two full days off after this game, so I want to see them going all out.
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