The Los Angeles Clippers narrowly beat the Denver Nuggets during their showdown at Intuit Dome on Thursday, 115-114. However, they could have probably added more to their score had it not been for an officiating mistake.
Bennedict Mathurin, who was traded to the Clippers from the Indiana Pacers prior to the trade deadline, stepped up big time for L.A. He exploded for 38 points on 12-of-22 shooting, while adding five rebounds, four assists and three steals.
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Kawhi Leonard added 23 points, four rebounds and three assists, while Derrick Jones Jr. tallied 22 points to help the Clippers take down a Nuggets team led by two All-Stars in Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray.
Jokic had a monster double-double of 22 points and 17 rebounds for the Nuggets in the loss. On the other hand, Murray had an all-around performance with 20 points, eight rebounds, eight assists, two steals and one block.
Los Angeles Clippers guard Bennedict Mathurin (9) reacts to a no call during a game.Thomas Shea-Imagn Images
(Thomas Shea-Imagn Images)
While it was a close encounter, the Clippers were actually denied a couple of free throws because of a missed call late in the game.
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With under 20 seconds left in the fourth quarter and the Nuggets trailing the Clippers 111-109, Denver defended hard to quickly get the ball back after L.A. inbounded the ball. Tim Hardaway Jr. and Christian Braun double-teamed Mathurin in an effort to force a turnover.
Clippers head coach Ty Lue had to use his final timeout at that moment to make sure they retained possession.
According to the NBA’s Last 2 Minute Report, though, a foul should have been called on Hardaway during the aforementioned play. A video of the moment showed the Nuggets guard hitting Mathurin, causing him to lose his balance, which should have been a foul.
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It was deemed an incorrect non-call. The Clippers would have gotten a pair of free throws had it been called correctly since the Nuggets were in the penalty situation at that point.
“Hardaway Jr. (DEN) initiates contact with Mathurin’s (LAC) arm and affects Mathurin’s SQBR,” the NBA commented in the L2M Report.
Fortunately for the Clippers, the mistake didn’t end up costing them the win.
Both the Clippers and Nuggets played again on Friday, with L.A. losing to the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver beating the Portland Trail Blazers.
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The Nuggets are now 36-21 on the season, good for No. 3 in the Western Conference. The Clippers, for their part, are now 27-29 and sit in the ninth seed in the same conference.
Related: NBA Admits Incorrect Call in Raptors-Bulls Game
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Feb 21, 2026, where it first appeared in the NBA section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.