Buzzer Reaction Denver Nuggets 116 Final Recap | Box score 115 Los Angeles Clippers MVP: Kenneth Faried scored a career-high 28 points on just 13 shots while pulling down 11 rebounds in the process. And he did all that against one of the best frontcourts in the NBA. X factor: Randy Foye. After a Matt Barnes three gave the Clippers the lead with 16.8 seconds left in the game, Foye came right back and hit a 30-footer at the buzzer to clinch the game for the Nuggets. That was … unexpected: The Clippers had a 13-point lead in the first half. They led in the final seconds of regulation. But they just couldn’t hold on at the very end and the Nuggets got a big win to get back to .500. – Fred Katz Tweet(s) of the Night His milkshake brings all the boys to the yard. RT @talkhoops: Blake Griffin is so damn fun. — Andrew Han (@andrewthehan) February 4, 2014 The Depth Charge BENCH MIN FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A OREB DREB REB AST STL BLK TO PF +/- PTS Byron Mullens, C INACTIVE Ryan Hollins, C 5 1-1 0-0 0-0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 2 +2 2 Antawn Jamison, PF DNP COACH’S DECISION Hedo Turkoglu, PF 12 1-3 0-1 2-3 0 3 3 1 2 0 1 1 +1 4 Total 17 2-4 0-1 2-3 1 3 4 1 2 1 1 3 +3 6 ClipperBlog Live’s Best Moment Jordan White of FOX Sports and Hardwood Paroxysm joins Andrew to discuss favorable first-round matchups for the Clippers, Denver’s up-and-down season, and whether Los Angeles’ greatest need is shoring up the wing crop or the interior depth. Check Your Messages Foye’s Revenge Randy Foye was on the Los Angeles Clippers when the expectations for the team suddenly rose two years ago after they traded for Chris Paul. He started alongside Paul after Chauncey Billups was lost for the season as the Clippers made it to the second round of the playoffs. Back then, the Clippers made it a point to remember teams that celebrated as if they won a championship after beating them. It was a new feeling for a new group that wasn’t always sure how to deal with expectations and disappointments. On Monday, it was Foye who hit a last-second, desperation 3-pointer against his former team to help the Denver Nuggets beat the Clippers 116-115 before celebrating as if they had won a title. - Arash Markazi at ESPN Los Angeles Poor Execution Late Sinks Clippers Through the Clippers’ first 35 games of the season, before Chris Paul went down, the team’s fourth-quarter offense ranked second in efficiency (114.7), allowing for a third-ranked +9.7 net rating. But over the next 15 games, without the presence of Paul, LAC’s fourth-quarter offense has been very average, scoring 105.0 points per 100 possessions (16th) along with a -0.2 net rating. Monday night, then, would prove to be a perfect test, given that a single point separated the teams through three periods. Although the Clippers scored 34 points in the fourth quarter, they came up empty on three consecutive late possessions, allowing the Nuggets to catch them at 107. Matt Barnes’ clutch 3 would have been the game-winner if not for Randy Foye’s heroics, but the Clippers’ inability to produce consistent frontcourt scoring in the final three minutes rendered the game a one-possession contest, one that could be decided by a single flick of the wrist. Better execution and fewer careless turnovers would have taken the power out of Foye’s –- or any one player’s — hands. - Aaron Fischman High and Low I don’t quite understand why the Clippers don’t run a Blake Griffin-DeAndre Jordan high-low offense for 48 minutes: 1. A simple high pick-and-roll with Griffin and a shallow roll to the nail almost always creates a temporary four-on-three in the halfcourt. If Jordan’s man comes out and commits to Griffin, he throws the lob to Jordan. If Griffin is left unattended, he drives the lane for a dunk and/or foul. If the team makes the ideal rotations, he hits the corners for a three. 2. The Clippers ran a swing-roll almost five consecutive times tonight in the fourth quarter: a side screen-and-roll with Jordan, Griffin on the left block. Once Jordan rolls, Griffin shoots out to the free throw line for the swing. Griffin’s defender tries to chuck Jordan’s rim roll, leaving the Clippers with a similar situation as option 1, if the defender chooses Jordan, an open lane for Griffin. If the defender sits on Griffin, an easy lob for Jordan. Someone please explain to me how to stop the Griffin-Jordan high-low. Because I don’t know. - Andrew Han
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