The Los Angeles Clippers are off to a flying start to the 2020-21 season. After an opening night win over the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers, the Clippers showed up in Denver on Christmas Day and got some revenge against the Nuggets in the form of a 121-108 victory.
Paul George led the way with 23 points, five rebounds and nine assists, while Kawhi Leonard -- who left in the fourth quarter after taking an inadvertent elbow to the face from Serge Ibaka -- put up 21 points, five rebounds, seven assists and four steals. As a team, the Clippers were terrific on the offensive end, shooting 55.4 percent from the field, knocking down 19 3-pointers and assisting on 32 of their 41 made field goals.
The Nuggets made a little bit of a run in the fourth quarter, and for a few minutes it seemed like they might be on the verge of yet another major comeback against the Clippers. But they never actually managed to get it to single digits, due in large part to their complete inability to get a stop. After getting to the Western Conference finals last season, the Nuggets are now 0-2 to start this campaign.
Here are three key takeaways from the Christmas Day finale:
1. Clippers make a statement
The Clippers ended last season in embarrassing fashion, blowing a 3-1 lead to the Nuggets in the second round of the playoffs, despite having a double-digit lead in all three of the final games. If the first two games of the new season are any indication, they felt the pain of that defeat and an entire offseason of jokes at their expense.
On opening night they took care of the defending champion Lakers without too much trouble, and on Christmas, they got their revenge over the Nuggets in an equally painless fashion. Two marquee opponents, two big wins. It would have been tough to script a better start for the Clippers.
Obviously, there's a long, long way to go this season, but these first two games were a clear statement from the Clippers that they're planning on things being different this year. With a new coach, more continuity between their stars and plenty of motivation, the Clippers have all the ingredients to make a championship run.
2. Offensive clinic
With Leonard and George leading the way, the Clippers have one of the most explosive offenses in the league. Last season, the only team with a better offensive rating than them was the Dallas Mavericks, who literally set the record for the most efficient offense in league history. It doesn't appear things are going to be different this season.
The Clippers put on an offensive clinic on Christmas, as they did whatever they wanted against a Nuggets team that admittedly wasn't offering much resistance. Los Angeles shot 55.4 percent from the field, 50 percent from 3-point land and 83.3 percent from the line, drained 19 3-pointers and assisted on 32 of their 41 baskets.
It was just too easy for them to pick apart the Nuggets, especially with the additional playmaking provided by Nic Batum and Luke Kennard. Neither of those two were the most exciting offseason acquisition -- even Ibaka got more attention -- but they'll really help this Clippers team. Having more wings who can create for others is a huge boost to a roster that's lacking traditional point guards.
3. Kawhi goes down but seems OK
Late in the fourth quarter, Leonard was rocked by a brutal and inadvertent elbow from Ibaka as they were going for a rebound. Leonard collapsed to the ground as play went down the other end of the floor, and at the next whistle the camera panned back to find him laying down with blood pouring out of his mouth.
After getting looked at by the medical staff he was able to make his way off the court under his own power, but was obviously done for the game. The team later announced that Leonard needed eight stitches to close the wound in his mouth, and when speaking to reporters following the game, Clippers coach Ty Lue said his star is "going to be fine."
That's great news for Leonard and the Clippers, because at first glance it looked like he was in serious trouble. The slow-motion view of Ibaka's elbow colliding with Leonard's face looked like a UFC highlight, and there was a grotesque amount of blood. Up next for the Clippers are the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday afternoon. It's not yet clear if Leonard will be available for that game.
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