LA Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue lauded Bennedict Mathurin after his home debut helped the team edge the Denver Nuggets 115-114 at Intuit Dome. “I thought it was great. We talked at halftime… we can’t run a lot of plays because he doesn’t know the plays yet, but we do know concepts,” Lue said.
The coach emphasized the team’s second-half adjustments. “Second half, it was a lot better—better spacing, getting to the next actions, running the right stuff… I give our guys credit for doing that,” he added.
Lue highlighted the effectiveness of the Clippers’ finishing lineup featuring Mathurin, John Collins, Kawhi Leonard, Brook Lopez, and Derrick Jones Jr. “Ben had it going all night. Brook did a great job on Joker. Yanic came in and battled, JC made some great interior passes… total team win,” he said.
Acknowledging defensive challenges, Lue noted, “We’re a foul team… got kind of scared with Joker and Valanciunas… I took responsibility and told them we’ve got to be better.” He explained the strategy: “Direction was to get us a stop because we were scared of the bulldozer by Joker and Valanciunas… it worked out for us.”
The Clippers’ focus on aggression was key, especially for Mathurin. “I thought he came out really passive in Houston… I pulled him to the side during the timeout, said, ‘You got to be aggressive, you got to be who you are.’ We need every bit of it tonight,” Lue said. Mathurin responded with 38 points, five rebounds, and four assists.
Lue also praised the team’s defensive approach against Nikola Jokic. “You can’t stop Joker… but we wanted to pressure him, not let him run freely, try to wear him down, not let him get to his sweet spot,” he explained. Brook Lopez, Yanic Konan Niederhauser, and Isaiah Jackson were singled out for executing the scheme.
The coach highlighted contributions from Derrick Jones Jr. and Kris Dunn. “Derrick’s athleticism around the basket… made huge threes. Him and KD, what they bring defensively—that’s our identity,” Lue said. Kawhi added 23 points, extending his streak to 34 consecutive 20-point games.
Lue reflected on adjusting to opponents’ traps on Kawhi: “Zu is one of the best at catching in the pocket, making the play. Brook’s being more of a pop guy… we’ve been working on it every single day, got to get better with that.”
Looking ahead, Lue stressed continuity and improvement. “We just ran two plays all night, but after the play, spacing, making the right play… we have to keep getting better,” he said, underscoring the Clippers’ team-first approach in tight games.
