Clippers Chemistry a Work in Progress

Early returns on the James Harden-Era in Los Angeles have not been promising. The Clippers have now lost five straight games, including the four games that Harden has played, since acquiring him from the Sixers. On Sunday, they were beaten 105-101 by the Memphis Grizzlies, giving Memphis just its second win of the season. Paul George scored 26 points to lead the Clippers while Norman Powell had 20 points. Russell Westbrook finished the game with 12 points, nine rebounds, and five assists but the Clippers still lost at home for the first time in four games. James Harden came off the bench to give the Clippers 11 points.

“I saw some intriguing things but we just got to be better,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said.

Luckily for LA, the season is still young as they try to improve chemistry with the addition of Harden. They are 13th in the NBA in points per game thus far and seventh in field goal percentage. The Clippers are also 7th in 3-point shooting. LA plays at a relatively slow pace, ranked 22nd in fastbreak points. Defensively, the Clippers are 12th in opponent’s points per game. They are 10th in opponent’s field goal percentage and 16th in 3-point defense. The Clippers are also just 18th in rebounding and, despite their veteran roster, they are 27th in turnovers per game.

Champs are Here

The Denver Nuggets have been stress-free thus far this season on their way to an 8-2 record, the best in the Western Conference. The Nuggets were upended on Sunday night by the suddenly red-hot Houston Rockets, 107-104. The loss ended a four-game win streak and the team’s best start since 2018-19. As usual, the Nuggets were led by Nikola Jokic. Jokic had his fourth triple-double of the season with 36 points, 21 rebounds, and 11 assists in a losing effort. Jokic drilled a 3-point shot with 19.1 seconds left to cut the lead to 103-102 but that was as close as the Nuggets would get.

“The greatest challenge that we have is we’re trying to compete for a championship but also develop four young players off the bench,” Nuggets coach Mike Malone said. “That is insanely hard because young players are going to have nights like tonight, and you have to continue to support them and help them in any way that you can, and that’s what we’re going to do. We know these guys are capable.”

The Nuggets certainly have the swagger this season of an NBA Champion. They are 8-2 on the season and have handled the pressure of being a champion well thus far. The Nuggets are 10th in points per game thus far and #1 in the league field goal percentage. They are also 15th in 3pt-shooting but are just 19th in fastbreak points. On the defensive end, the Nuggets have been excellent. They are fourth in points allowed per game and fourth in opponent’s field goal percentage. They have are also fourth in the league in 3-point defense. The Nuggets are just 15th in rebounding this season but have protected the ball well, sixth in the NBA in turnovers per game.