James Harden replaced Westbrook in the starting lineup for the Clippers on Tuesday because Tyronn Lue’s team was desperate to win in Denver. It was interesting how that had repercussions.
The Clippers’ problems never go away.
Tuesday’s 108-111 loss to the Nuggets is Los Angeles’ sixth consecutive defeat overall and their fifth since James Harden entered the starting lineup.
Now, losing by three points in Denver is not a cause for concern. The Clippers had a chance to force overtime by playing really well for the majority of the evening, but Paul Geroge’s potential game-winning shot hung right there on the rim.
The Clippers’ fourth-quarter strategy was revealed during the game, which made it extremely intriguing. Tyronn Lue’s decisions on Tuesday may be a sign of things to come in a potential playoff series (assuming the Clippers make it there), as this was a team that was obviously desperate to win and was pulling out all the stops to do so. Of note were two items.
First, with the Clips very much needing to get a win, Lue decided not to close with Russell Westbrook. Russ played the first 6:42 of the fourth, was taken out for Harden, and didn’t play the rest of the way. Instead, L.A. closed with George, Harden, Kawhi Leonard, Terrance Mann, and then a combination of Norman Powell and P.J. Tucker.
The Westbrook decision especially bears watching. He came out of the game with the Clippers ahead by three, and L.A. obviously ended up losing. Is that all because of the Harden switch? Of course not. It likely had much more to do with Nikola Jokić entering for the final eight-and-a-half minutes and torching any defender in his path. But Westbrook has largely been a closer on this team since he joined late last season. And it’s revealing that when looking for its first win since the trade, against a possible playoff foe, Lue decided it was best to split up Westbrook and Harden in a high-leverage moment. If that’s a sign of things to come, then you have to wonder how happy Westbrook will be giving up those minutes for Harden.
Also of note: Lue tried to finish the game by going super small against Denver, with Ivicia Zubac playing only 13 seconds in the fourth. Part of this was out of necessity—Zubac was the only healthy big man for Los Angeles, and the team is reportedly signing Daniel Theis on Wednesday.
Jokić absolutely mowed down anyone in his path, especial
ly when Powell was in the game, at one point posting up Mann, Leonard and George on back-to-back-to-back possessions. I thought the Clips were actually having some success with Tucker, though. The problem was the Nuggets kept getting Jokić switched onto a smaller defender. If Tucker is in the game, he can’t concede that switch, particularly with Jamal Murray out.
Offensively, the Clips generated a couple of good looks attacking Jokić in space, then bizarrely didn’t keep up with the plan. Powell got a wide-open three on the first possession he came in for Tucker. The next time down, Harden got Joker on a switch and blew by him, but missed a layup. The next few times down the floor, the Clippers didn’t do a good enough job of forcing Joker to play on the perimeter, which is the whole point of going small. That brief lack of intentionality can be the difference in a three-point game.
The Clippers are going to figure this out. This team is very talented, and their effort in Denver on Tuesday was ultimately reassuring. Keep an eye on Westbrook and Harden, though, and how much Lue actually wants them on the court together when it matters most. And while the Clips had no answer defensively for Jokić, I think their smallball look against him deserves another few minutes of experimentation, but only if they relentlessly attack him with purpose.
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