Mathurin's 38 Points Power Clippers' 115-114 Win Over Nuggets

Inglewood, Calif. Bennedict Mathurin erupted for 38 points in his home debut, powering the Los Angeles Clippers to a thrilling 115-114 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Thursday night. The game, played at Crypto.com Arena, marked both teams' return from the All-Star break and featured a tense finish decided by a missed free throw with less than a second remaining.

Mathurin, traded to the Clippers from Indiana at the deadline, shot 12 of 22 from the field in his first outing in front of the home crowd. His performance overshadowed a balanced scoring effort from his teammates, including Kawhi Leonard's 23 points, extending Leonard's streak of games with at least 20 points to 34. Derrick Jones Jr. contributed 22 points, helping Los Angeles maintain its strong form with a 21-7 record since December 20.

The Nuggets kept pace throughout, led by Nikola Jokic's 22 points and 17 rebounds. Jamal Murray added 20 points, while Bruce Brown scored 19 and both Cam Johnson and Julian Strawther finished with 18. Denver's depth was tested without forward Aaron Gordon, sidelined for his 10th straight game with a hamstring injury, and Peyton Watson, out for his fourth consecutive contest with a...