Kenneth Faried leads Denver Nuggets over Los Angeles Clippers to end losing streak

The Denver Nuggets put up one of their best defensive performances of the season and held off a late Los Angeles Clippers run to leave the Staples Center with an 87-81 victory, and end their three-game losing streak in style. Emmanuel Mudiay more than made up for a terrible shooting night (1-12), by hitting two clutch free throws with :25 seconds left to seal the win. The Nuggets were able to execute well down the stretch and come away with a surprising win over one of the better teams in the Western Conference.

When/Where

Wednesday, February 24, 2016 at Staples Center – Los Angeles, CA

Star of the Game

Kenneth Faried – He didn’t see much time in the second half, but the Manimal had a monster performance to close out the first half that built a big enough lead to hold off the Clippers in the second half. Faried finished the game with 21 points and 11 rebounds (6 offensive, 5 defensive) on 10-15 shooting in only 23 minutes on the floor.

He dominated the game for the last 5 minutes of the first half and helped the Nuggets finish on a 20-3 run and 53-39 halftime lead that would prove to be too much to overcome. While not the flashiest of plays, this sequence is an example of the energy Faried brought to this short stretch that had such a big impact on the outcome of the game:

Turning Point

Faried’s first half domination was the clear turning point, but the game was in doubt until Gary Harris hit a major long distance 3-pointer as the shot clock ran out with two minutes left in the game, giving the Nuggets an 85-80 lead. He followed up the silky smooth jumper with a steal on J.J. Redick which all but sealed the deal for the Nuggets.

Pack the Paint

Of the Clippers first 20 field goal attempts, 15 were 3-pointers, that’s a 75 percent clip! The Clippers would adjust starting in the second quarter, but still ended up shooting 3-pointers on over half of their field goal attempts. The final numbers for L.A. were 30-85 (35 percent) from the field and 13-46 (28 percent) from deep. The Clippers proclivity for threes led to the Nuggets doubling them up on points in the paint with a 44-22 advantage and likely played a large hand in the foul disparity (20 on the Clippers to 14 on the Nuggets.)

Gritty Gallinari

The Rooster had an off shooting night and a bandage on his hand, but it didn’t keep him from making some gritty plays throughout. Whether it was clutch 3’s, getting to the line, drawing a charge or throwing down a nasty put-back dunk late in the game, Gallo made the plays that a team has to make to win close games.

Welcome to the Box Score Mr. Sampson

JaKarr Sampson made a few solid defensive plays, but the highlight of his night was scoring his first points as a Denver Nugget on a nice baseline cut and a pretty feed from D.J. Augustin.

Late Game Heroics

A number of Nuggets made big plays down the stretch to secure this win and that’s what makes it such an inspiring win. Mudiay’s late free-throws despite his shooting struggles, Harris’ shooting, defense and driving, Gallo’s grit, Barton’s huge block on a Chris Paul layup and Nikola Jokic and Joffrey Lauvergne‘s steady play in the paint all contributed to help hold off the Clippers attempts at a comeback. For a team that has dropped a number of close games this season, it was great to see the entire roster come together to seal a victory in hostile territory against one of the better teams in the league.

Plays of the Game

There were a number of highlights tonight, but it’s only right to give the spotlight to the Manimal on one of his many hustle plays of the night. This was a particularly nice play that also showcases Nikola Jokic’s otherworldly hoops IQ.

Quote of the Game

“It’s a lot of fun when you make shots. It gives you a chance to set up your defense on the other end of the floor.” -Nuggets assistant coach Ed Pinckney at halftime on the difference in tonight’s game from the last two losses.

Lasting Impact

The Nuggets end their longest losing streak of 2016 in surprising fashion against a very good team that had been playing very well of late. It’s the type of win that can show a lot about a team based on how they respond to the success. Will the newfound confidence provide motivation to continue the run, or will they stick it back into cruise control and look like the team that disappointed fans in their first three games out of the All-Star break?

Both of the Nuggets next two opponents are likely playoff teams in the Western Conference, so we will learn a lot about the maturity of this young team in the coming week.

Up Next

Friday, February 26th at the Dallas Mavericks, 6:30 p.m. MST