Bennedict Mathurin delivered a memorable first game in front of the home crowd, pouring in 38 points to lead the Los Angeles Clippers to a narrow 115–114 win over the Denver Nuggets on Thursday night in Inglewood.
Denver nearly forced overtime in the closing seconds. Jamal Murray drew a foul on Derrick Jones Jr. with 0.9 seconds left and stepped to the line needing all three free throws to tie. He calmly knocked down the first two but missed the third, and the buzzer sounded as players battled for the rebound.
Mathurin, acquired from Indiana at the trade deadline, looked fully comfortable in his new setting. He shot 12 of 22 from the field and repeatedly delivered in key moments, including two clutch free throws with nine seconds remaining that pushed the Clippers ahead 115–112.
Kawhi Leonard added 23 points and extended his streak of 20-point games to 34, while Jones contributed 22 as the Clippers improved to 21–7 since Dec. 20. Both teams were playing their first game after the All-Star break.
Nikola Jokic led Denver with 22 points and 17 rebounds. Murray finished with 20 points, Bruce Brown scored 19, and Cam Johnson and Julian Strawther each added 18. The Nuggets were again without Aaron Gordon, sidelined by a hamstring injury for the 10th straight game, while Peyton Watson missed his fourth in a row with a similar issue.
Tensions briefly boiled over midway through the fourth quarter when the Clippers’ Yanic Konan Niederhauser, Kris Dunn, and Mathurin got tangled with Denver’s Jonas Valanciunas under the basket after a free throw. Technical fouls were issued to Dunn, Mathurin, and Valanciunas, and Denver converted one to tie the game at 83.
Jokic later evened the score at 107 with 46 seconds left, setting up the frantic finish that Mathurin ultimately decided.
Next up, Denver visits Portland on Friday, while the Clippers face the Lakers.
