Los Angeles – The Nuggets felt fine heading into their playoff meeting Monday night against the Los Angeles Clippers, all things considered.
Sure, they had lost Game 1 two nights earlier. But they figured if they fell by two points shooting 38.5 percent, they had no reason to worry. After all, no one could expect them to shoot worse than that.
Oh, they shot worse.
The only thing the Nuggets could hit consistently in their 98-87 Game 2 fiasco at the Staples Center was their own foreheads.
As for actual basketball shots, Denver finally limped back to better than 30 percent halfway through the fourth quarter of a game that already was decided. The Nuggets finished at 34.2 percent, not far from their franchise playoff low of 32.2 set in 1988 vs. Seattle.
“I’m not sure we feel real confident right now, but I think by Thursday night we’ll be ready to go,” Nuggets coach George Karl said.
The offensive culprits included: Earl Boykins, who fluffed his first six shots on the way to a 5-for-17 night; Andre Miller, who hit 3-for-11; and Carmelo Anthony, frustrated by the Clippers’ D into his second straight poor shooting performance and early foul trouble, going 5-for-15 for 16 points.
It also didn’t help when forward Kenyon Martin did not play in the second half. After no points and one rebound in seven first-half minutes, Martin called it a night because of a bruised left knee and did not return from the locker room until late in the third quarter.
“Playing only six minutes in the first half really hurt us. It hurt our team,” Anthony said, referring to himself. “But we still had a chance to stay in the game with the guys that were out there.”
The Clippers are up 2-0 for the first time in the franchise’s meager playoff history. The Nuggets will try to avoid a 3-0 deficit in Game 3 on Thursday at the Pepsi Center.
Karl has repeatedly said an 0-2 hole does not worry him, since, according to his philosophy, a playoff series begins only after the first road win.
However, statistics say the Nuggets face a serious problem. In the history of the NBA playoffs, the team starting a series with a two-game edge has won 94.6 percent of the time.
Denver again found no defensive answer for all-star forward Elton Brand, who shot 8-for-14 for 19 points and had 11 rebounds. Sam Cassell added 13 points and 11 assists, and Cuttino Mobley led L.A. with 21 points. Marcus Camby was one of few Nuggets to consistently show up on both ends of the court. He had 16 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks.
The Nuggets took some advantage of foul trouble to Chris Kaman and Mobley, cutting their deficit to 11 midway through the third quarter.
But between their horrid shooting and the early points they staked the Clippers, a comeback by the Nuggets was next to impossible.
Karl used nine players in Game 1 and the same number in just the first quarter Monday. Little worked as the Clippers took a 32-13 lead at the end of the period.
Anthony was the first to make an unusually early exit after picking up his second personal foul 4:52 into the game. He played just another 90 seconds in the second quarter before committing his third personal trying on an offensive rebound.
“It’s a bad hand when Melo gets into foul trouble and you get down 15 or 20 points,” Karl said. “You can second- guess and say maybe I should have played Melo with three fouls. But we had come back from a 16-point deficit with 15 or 16 minutes to go last game.
“I thought maybe we had that type of energy in us. We didn’t do it.”
Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy said his team’s defense didn’t do anything special to stop Denver.
“We know we’re not going to stop a guy like Carmelo, but we’ll make him work for what he gets,” Dunleavy said.
Things stayed ugly for Denver in the second quarter as L.A. extended its edge to 56-34 at the half, punctuated by Mobley’s 32-foot halftime buzzer-beater. The Nuggets suffered a scoring drought of 5:49 over the first two periods as the Clippers led by as many as 25 points.
Staff writer Adam Thompson can be reached at 303-820-5447 or athompson@denverpost.com.
Clippers win Game 2
BEST: Point made
Shot: The Clippers’ Cuttino Mobley hit a running jumper just inside the halfcourt mark at the second-quarter buzzer to push Los Angeles ahead 56-34.
Celebrities spotted: Comedian-actor Billy Crystal had the best seat in the house, at center court just behind the bench. Other A-listers on hand included soul singer Eric Benet, who performed the national anthem, actor Frankie Muniz and Hollywood scene reporter Pat O’Brien. In other words, not exactly a Lakers game.
Trash-talking line: With Anthony benched in the second quarter with three fouls, one fan repeatedly yelled to him, “Hey, Melo, how much you pay for those seats?”
KEY INJURY: Knee not right
Denver’s Kenyon Martin missed the second half because of a bruised left knee. Martin, whom coach George Karl praised after Game 1 for his defense on forward Elton Brand, missed 16 games in the regular season with tendinitis in his left knee and six with a bruised left knee. He saw limited minutes in the first half Monday, having lost his starting spot to Francisco Elson. The Nuggets again struggled to hold their own on the boards.
KEY MOMENTS: Melo missing
With 7:08 left in the first quarter and the Clippers up 12-6, Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony picked up his second foul. He spent the rest of the quarter on the bench. Los Angeles finished the first quarter on a 20-7 run. Still scoreless, Anthony picked up his third foul at the offensive end after a missed shot, then went to the bench with 10:30 left in the second quarter and Denver down 34-13. He didn’t return until the second half.
WORST: Pointless stats
Sign: For the Nuggets, Anthony’s first-half line of six minutes, no points. Ouch.
Dressed fan: The guy who came in with an all-orange suit. Even the storied Clippers fan, who wears a half-blue, half-white suit, and famed Clippers fan “Clipper Darrell,” who wears a bright red wig, were sharper.
Rapper: The only thing worse than the Nuggets in the first half was 8-year-old rapper Lil’ Max, who performed at halftime. Hey kid, didn’t you have some schoolwork to do on a week night?
