Nuggets at Clippers
J.J. Redick’s buzzer-beater against the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday lifted the Los Angeles Clippers to their second win in the last seven games, and the team is hoping the shot marked a shift in momentum. The Clippers will try to string together back-to-back wins for the first time this month when they host the Denver Nuggets on Sunday.
Los Angeles was crushed at home by the Cleveland Cavaliers and went 1-4 on a five-game road trip before Jamal Crawford knocked down a tying 3-pointer and Chris Paul found Redick for the game-winner at the buzzer in the return home. “Wins like this can catapult you,” Crawford told reporters. “You can use it as a foundation just to kind of recalibrate and get things going.” The Nuggets are trying to build their own foundation for going forward, though their future won’t include a trip to the playoffs this spring. Denver picked on the worst two teams in their respective conferences with wins over Philadelphia and the Los Angeles Lakers in the last two games and featured a wide rotation in both contests.
TV: 3:30 p.m. ET, Altitude (Denver), Prime Ticket (Los Angeles)
ABOUT THE NUGGETS (31-42): Denver coach Mike Malone gave 10 different players time on the court Friday against the Lakers and played each of them at least 21 minutes in the 116-105 triumph. Malone is giving the most time to the players that play the hardest and still give maximum effort despite the team being out of the race. “The 30 wins, great, we tied last season, if we win another we've surpassed,” Malone told reporters before Friday’s win. “But are we developing good habits and are we playing the game the right way? Are we preparing for the game the right way?”
ABOUT THE CLIPPERS (44-27): Los Angeles fell at NBA-best Golden State in the final game of the road trip on Wednesday but felt it made some improvements during that game before bringing it together on Thursday. “It’s all about confidence,” Paul told reporters. “I think our spirit was right again (Thursday) like yesterday. They were hitting some tough shots. You just need to know what it feels like to win again.” Paul bounced back from a 4-of-16 effort in Golden State with 25 points on 8-of-15 shooting in the win over Portland.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Clippers C DeAndre Jordan has scored in double figures in a career-best 13 straight games.
2. Nuggets F Kenneth Faried (back) is probable for Sunday after missing the last five games.
3. Denver earned an 87-81 win in Los Angeles on Feb. 24 behind 21 points and 11 rebounds from Faried.