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DENVER — In the end, the Clippers lamented their inability to take care of the basketball.
And because they were so sloppy with the basketball, because they failed to secure the ball when the game was on the line, the Clippers dropped a 112-110 overtime playoff game to the Denver Nuggets on Saturday afternoon at Ball Arena.
The Clippers had 20 turnovers, four in the fourth quarter.
The final turnover came when James Harden had the ball tipped off his hand by Russell Westbrook with 9.6 seconds left in overtime and the Clippers down by three points.
The former All-Star forward has been rounding into his dominant form in preparation for the playoffs, his passion for the game as strong as ever.
When Nikola Jokic made two free throws with 6.5 seconds left for a 112-107 Nuggets lead in the overtime, the Clippers were on their way to a 0-1 hole in the best-of-seven series.
Harden had 32 points and 11 assists, but he also had two turnovers, the last late in the game.
“That’s the game,” said Harden, who was 11 for 22 from the field. “That’s the game right there. Nothing else. That’s the game.
“Those turnovers were unforced. That’s the game right there. It’s nothing they did. It’s us. It’s all us.”
Jokic had 29 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds, but it was Westbrook who hurt the Clippers the most in the end.
Westbrook had 15 points, including two big threes. He had eight rebounds, four offensive, each leading to another opportunity for the Nuggets. He also had two steals.
Kawhi Leonard had 22 points, but he also had seven turnovers for the Clippers.
“We just got to be decisive, be more in attack mode situations,” Leonard said. “That’s really it. A lot of the turnovers we caused.”
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Jokic not only picked up his fourth foul by getting a double-foul with Ben Simmons in the fourth, he was also hit with a technical foul with 6:41 left.
Jokic felt he was hit in the face by Derrick Jones Jr., knocking him to the court. But no foul was called, drawing the ire of Jokic toward an official who issued the technical foul in a game that was getting tense and tighter as it went along.
Then with 1:27 left and the Nuggets leading by one, Jokic got an offensive rebound and was fouled.
But he missed both free throws, leaving the Clippers down 95-94 in the fourth.
The Clippers took advantage when Ivica Zubac (21 points, 13 rebounds) scored on a layup that was a goaltending call on Aaron Gordon, giving the Clippers a 96-95 lead with 1:11 left.
But the Clippers turned the ball over after Leonard had it hit off his hip with 33.5 seconds left and the Clippers still up by one.
The Nuggets called a timeout to call an important play after the Clippers’ challenge was unsuccessful.
Jokic, unafraid to make the right pass, and Westbrook, unafraid to take the big shot, combined with his center make the play. Jokic hit Westbrook in the corner for a three-pointer for a 98-96 Nuggets lead with 23.4 seconds left.
But Harden drove inside for a floater to tie the score at 98-98 with 18.7 seconds left.
That left the ball in Denver’s hands for the final shot.
But the Clippers played great defense and eventually forced Westbrook into not getting off a shot, sending the game into overtime tied 98-98.
Along the way in this game, Harden established himself as one of the NBA’s playoff greats.
He now has scored (3,796) career points in the postseason, pushing him past John Havlicek for sole possession of 14th place on the NBA’s all-time playoff points list. Harden also has (1,072) assists in the postseason, pushing him past Larry Bird for sole possession of eighth on the all-time playoff assists list.
“We’re in good shape,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. “We just got to do what we’re supposed to do and what we talked about. We can’t turn the ball over 20 times. ... We just got to be better with our execution. I think defensively understanding what we’re doing and then offensively understanding how we want to attack them.”
When Harden picked up his second foul with 4:55 left in the first quarter, the Clippers had a decision to make. They left him in the game and he immediately attacked with three consecutive drives to the basket — one turning into a three-point play — resulting in an early 12-point lead for the Clippers.
Harden didn’t waver in his play, staying aggressive the rest of the way in playing all 12 minutes in the first, finishing it off with a three-pointer at the buzzer that gave him 15 points on six-for-11 shooting.
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