Game 14 Recap: The Butler did it!

LA CLIPPERS 106 – DENVER NUGGETS 99

NUGGETS        26     20     27     26            99

CLIPPERS        21     35      32     18          106

A little over 2 years since the Clippers have beaten the Nuggets they put together a gem of a game to get their 5th win of the season. Although Carmelo Anthony started off red hot (17 points in the first quarter), Chris Kaman swatted away Anthony’s layup with 8.9 secs to go which led to Rasual Butler’s 3 pointer to cut the deficit to 21-26. The Clippers went on a 17-0 run by forcing turnovers and tough shots. They controlled the boards and were able to stick 15 points off 10 first half turn overs by the Nuggets. Rasual Butler and Baron Davis helped in the run that put the Clippers up by 10 at the half, 56-46.

The Clippers also controlled the 3rd quarter building a lead as much as 20 points and ended the 3rd up 15. The only problem was the momentum was shifting by the end of the 3rd quarter and thats when Denver went on a 16-4 run through the beginning of the fourth. The Nuggets even cut the lead down to 2 points and it looked like another collapse like when they blew a 22-point lead against the Toronto Raptors last week. The Nuggets started attacking the basket and scoring easy buckets while the Clippers were jacking up 3’s and throwing silly passes in the crowded lane which led to easy points of turn overs. When Al Thorton threw a lazy pass to Kaman that was picked off by Nene for an easy dunk, it looked like the tide shifted.

But just like he did in the first run at the end of the first quarter, Rasual Butler hit a big 3 to push the lead back to 5 points. After that it looked like the Clippers settled back down and actually built the lead back up to 10 points before finally winning the game 106-99. The bad passes stopped and they got decent shots up. Kaman also grabbed a big offensive rebound to prevent the Nuggets to cut the lead back to 2 points.

Rasual Butler led the Clippers with 27 points. His best game as a Clipper. Al Thorton chipped in with 18 points and Baron Davis finished with 12 points, 6 boards and 9 assists. Davis also passed the 5,000 assist mark for his career on a pass to Chris Kaman. Kaman had a solid game with 13 points, 7 boards, 6 assists and 3 blocks. Kaman was a solid force in the 4th helping to stabilize the team and helped close this game out while Butler and Davis hit big 3’s. Although Marcus Camby was doubtful to play with back spasms he was a warrior tonight. Camby’s stats may not show a dominant game but his hustle, rebounding and overall smart team play definitely added to help beat his former team.

Carmelo Anthony had a spectacular scoring game with 37 points but also hurt his team with 6 turnovers. Nene Hilario chipped in 18 points and 12 rebounds while Kenyon Martin had 14 points. Denver’s starters didn’t have much help as the Clippers bench killed them 54-21.

Whether it’s Denver’s inability to play well on the road (4-4) or the Clippers showing what they can do if they play smart it was a good win over a Western Conference power. Now the Clippers need to build on this and not let this quality win go to waste.

Tags: Al Thorton, Baron Davis, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Kaman, Kenyon Martin, Marcus Camby, Nene Hilario, Rasual Butler