Mathurin Magic! Newest Clipper Drops 38 as LA Survives Nuggets in Thriller

 

If Clipper Nation was still mourning the loss of Ivica Zubac at the trade deadline, Thursday night’s 115-114 victory over the Denver Nuggets at the Intuit Dome provided some serious healing.

Bennedict Mathurin, the centerpiece of the package that sent Zubac to Indiana, made his highly anticipated home debut—and he did not disappoint. In fact, he completely took over. Mathurin exploded for a game-high 38 points, introducing himself to the Los Angeles crowd with the exact kind of fearless, downhill scoring the front office was banking on.

This was a classic Western Conference heavyweight bout that came down to the absolute wire. After trailing 52-45 at halftime, the Clippers (now 27-28) clawed their way back into the game, setting the stage for a frantic fourth quarter.

Mathurin scored 16 of his 38 points in the final frame, constantly putting pressure on the Denver defense. With just nine seconds remaining and the Clippers trailing 114-113, Mathurin drew a foul and stepped to the line. Cool as ice, he sank both free throws to put LA ahead 115-114.

But the drama was far from over.

With 0.9 seconds left on the clock, Derrick Jones Jr. aggressively contested a Jamal Murray three-pointer and was called for the foul. The Intuit Dome held its collective breath as Murray, a historically clutch playoff performer, stepped to the line for three shots. He hit the first. He hit the second. And then, miraculously for the Clippers, Murray front-rimmed the third free throw. The buzzer sounded, and LA escaped with a massive win.

While Mathurin was the hero of the night, he had plenty of help. Kawhi Leonard delivered a steady, efficient 23 points, while Derrick Jones Jr. was instrumental on both ends, dropping 22 points of his own.

Perhaps the unsung hero of the night, however, was Brook Lopez. Stepping into the starting center role left vacant by Zubac, Lopez had the unenviable task of battling Nikola Jokic. Jokic still put up monstrous numbers (22 points, 17 rebounds, 6 assists), but Lopez held his ground when it mattered most, delivering a colossal block on the reigning MVP in the closing minutes to prevent Denver from taking control.

The Clippers will need to ride this momentum immediately as they face the Lakers tonight at Crypto.com Arena. If Mathurin can consistently provide this kind of offensive firepower next to Kawhi, the Clippers might just be hitting their stride at the perfect time.