NBA: Revived Clippers take on Nuggets after All-Star interlude

While much of the All-Star Game infrastructure may be gone, the momentum from last weekend’s festivities is expected to linger as the Los Angeles Clippers host the Denver Nuggets on Thursday in Inglewood, Calif.

Both teams return to action following the All-Star break. For the Nuggets, Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray represented Team World, while Clippers star Kawhi Leonard drew attention as a starter for USA Stripes.

Leonard scored 31 points against Team World during a 12-minute showcase game that helped USA Stripes advance to the title game in the three-team tournament. In the championship game, however, a fatigued Leonard managed just one point, missing all four of his shots from the floor.

“I was happy for him, just to be in our arena, in our building and play the way he did. It was good,” Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue said. “The crowd was really into it. They were going crazy. Even his teammates were going crazy about it. It was good to see.”

Leonard’s scoring outburst mirrored the form that has powered the Clippers’ revival since just before Christmas. Los Angeles started the season 6-21, but under Lue’s system with Leonard leading the charge, the team has gone 20-7.

The Clippers currently sit 10th in the Western Conference, holding the final play-in spot with two months remaining in the regular season. They will, however, continue without James Harden, who was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Darius Garland. Garland’s toe injury has delayed his debut for the team.

“Just the same thing we have been doing, with the effort, staying competitive, wanting to compete every night, pushing the pace, rebounding,” Leonard said. “That has been what we have been doing the last couple of weeks.”

For Denver, Jokic saw just five minutes of All-Star action and didn’t score, while Murray shot 0-for-6 in one 12-minute game and scored eight points in another. The Nuggets enter Thursday’s game in third place in the West, 3½ games behind the second-place San Antonio Spurs and 6½ behind first-place Oklahoma City Thunder.

Denver had stumbled to a 2-4 record heading into All-Star weekend, following a 122-109 home win over the Clippers. Despite his indifference toward the All-Star Game, Jokic underscored the importance of the regular season with four straight triple-doubles before the break. He currently has 184 career triple-doubles, second-most all-time behind former teammate Russell Westbrook.

The Nuggets have battled injuries, with Aaron Gordon (hamstring) missing nine games and Peyton Watson (hamstring) sidelined for three. Still, Denver managed a 122-116 win over the Memphis Grizzlies before the break.

“I’m not concerned,” Nuggets head coach David Adelman said. “We had some guys that were exhausted. We wanted to get a win going into the break. And that’s what they did. The guys toughed it out. … All these guys need a break, not just from basketball but from each other and from me.”

—Field Level Media/Reuters