Bennedict Mathurin scored 38 points in his home debut as the LA Clippers edged the Denver Nuggets 115-114 on Thursday night at Intuit Dome.
The victory moved Los Angeles to 26-28, keeping the club in the Western Conference play-in mix, while Denver fell to 35-21 and missed a chance to gain ground near the top of the standings.
Mathurin, acquired from Indiana at the trade deadline, shot 12-of-22 from the field and 12-of-13 at the free-throw line in a high-usage role. He added five rebounds, four assists and three steals in 34 minutes.
Kawhi Leonard contributed 23 points on 8-of-18 shooting and extended his streak to 34 consecutive games with at least 20 points. Derrick Jones Jr. finished with 22 points, including the foul that sent Jamal Murray to the line in the final second.
The Nuggets had a chance to force overtime with 0.9 seconds left after Jones fouled Murray on a 3-point attempt. The Denver guard made the first two free throws but missed the third, and time expired after the rebound.
Los Angeles shot 47% from the field and went 25-of-30 at the stripe, which proved decisive in a one-point game. The Clippers offset 8-of-33 shooting from beyond the arc by attacking the paint and drawing contact.
Denver shot 45% overall and hit 13 3-pointers, but the visitors committed 17 turnovers that led to transition opportunities the other way.
Nikola Jokic recorded 22 points and 17 rebounds, though he also had six turnovers. Murray added 20 points and eight assists, while Bruce Brown scored 19 off the bench on 6-of-9 shooting.
Cam Johnson and Julian Strawther each added 18 points, with Strawther connecting on six 3-pointers. Christian Braun was limited to seven points in 34 minutes.
The game tightened late when Jokic tied it at 107-107 with 46 seconds remaining on a shot inside. Mathurin responded by making two free throws with nine seconds left to give the Clippers a 115-112 edge.
Tempers flared midway through the fourth quarter after a free throw when Yanic Konan Niederhauser, Kris Dunn and Mathurin became entangled with Jonas Valanciunas under the basket. Dunn, Mathurin and Valanciunas received technical fouls, and Denver converted one technical free throw to even the score at 83-83 at the time.
The Nuggets were without Aaron Gordon for the 10th straight game because of a hamstring injury, and Peyton Watson missed his fourth consecutive contest with a similar issue.
Denver visits Portland on Friday night, while the Clippers face the Los Angeles Lakers in the second night of a back-to-back.
