Missed free throws destroy Nuggets in loss to LA Clippers

In their first game in the brand new Intuit Dome, the Nuggets lost 126-122 to the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday and moved to 10-8 this season, while the Golden State Warriors traveled to Denver for the NBA Cup game on Tuesday to complete.

Aaron Gordon returns as the backup center

Aaron Gordon was cleared to play for the first time since Nov. 4, when he left the field with a right calf strain, and played 23 minutes off the bench. More interesting than his participation, however, was how the Nuggets used him. In their first game back after a three-day holiday weekend, they switched to an eight-man rotation, and as usual, that meant Gordon was Michael Malone’s backup center.

And as always when Gordon is a substitute, Jokic had much more control over his rest minutes. Defensive rebounding and perimeter defense became an issue in the fourth quarter, but overall Denver was plus-three with the three-time MVP on the bench.

The second unit had problems with Dario Saric in the center. There were problems with Zeke Nnaji in the center. It struggled with DeAndre Jordan at center. There were signs of life for Vlatko Cancar, but Cancar injured his knee. Gordon seemingly remains the best solution, but he’s also the least sustainable option for an 82-game regular season.

Milestones with round numbers galore

The Nuggets are becoming the Forrest Gump of the NBA with milestone statistical moments and special occasions. In the last nine months, they’ve seen LeBron James become the first player to score 40,000 career points, Russell Westbrook the first player to reach 200 triple-doubles, and now James Harden the second player to make 3,000 3-pointers. Not to mention other coincidences like the unveiling of a Kobe Bryant statue tied to a visit from Denver.

Harden joined Steph Curry in the exclusive 3,000 club with 2:29 left in the first half, giving the Clippers a 54-53 lead. He finished the night with 3,004 points after leading all scorers with 39 points, nine rebounds and 11 assists. He and Norm Powell were a two-man show for much of the game, combining for 25 of their team’s 33 points in the third quarter, erasing a 10-point lead that Denver had briefly built. Both made crucial three-point fouls against Denver’s young guards in the fourth period.

In other Los Angeles-themed NBA history notes, Nikola Jokic ties Lakers star Magic Johnson for third place on the all-time triple-doubles list with the 138th of his career. Jokic had this game going by the end of the third quarter despite not recording a single assist in the first frame. His goal was desperately needed to give the Nuggets an early lead, as they had just two points for nearly five minutes early in the game. Jokic had 15 of Denver’s 23 shots in the quarter while his teammates shot 3-for-12.