Clippers forward Norman Powell, right, drives as Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray defends during the second half on Thursday in Denver. (David Zalubowski / Associated Press)
Losers of three straight and seeking a spark, the Clippers hoped this night would represent a turnaround.
In one sense, that is exactly what took place.
After four quarters of their most ineffective, uncompetitive basketball of this season, the Clippers were spun around in circles so easily during a disastrous, 122-91 display in Denver that as the midway point of the season rapidly approaches, their season appears as though it is now heading backward.
For weeks coach Tyronn Lue has preached the importance of patience as a roster rocked by injuries to the point it has played four games at full strength, and just 15 with both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George healthy, locks into the right combination of players and playing style.
Most worrisome Thursday was that against a Nuggets team tied for first in the Western Conference, nothing came close to working. In the standings, five games separate the Nuggets from the Clippers, but during a first half in which the Clippers allowed 19 unanswered points to Denver and trailed by as many as 38 – most damningly, even with Nikola Jokic, the two-time Most Valuable Player, scoring only three points, and Michael Porter Jr. contributing exactly zero – the gulf between them was vast.
Jokic finished with 12 points, nine assists and six rebounds. Jamal Murray scored 13 first-quarter points and finished with 18.
Just as he had 12 months earlier when the Clippers trailed Washington by as many as 35 points, Lue benched his starters out of halftime. It was true that the Clippers were due to tipoff in Minnesota less than 24 hours later, and that Paul George was already playing on a tender hamstring, making the rest valuable.
But the starters had also shown little to justify more playing time. In the first half, they combined to make nine of their 31 shots, including two of their 16 three-pointers. Overall, the Clippers made just three of their 28 shots outside of the paint in the first half.
Meanwhile Denver (25-13)…
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