The Clippers lost to their old enemy with mixed feelings. Harden dreams of returning to playoff mode, and veterans inside fill the void.

Although it was only a preseason game, the game still received widespread attention because the Clippers met the Nuggets. After all, in the first round of the playoffs, the Clippers were eliminated by the Nuggets after the tiebreaker. Harden's dream of winning the championship came to nothing again, so NBA officials are also good at creating topics, and the preseason brought the two sides together again.

Since the outcome is not important, both sides basically made substitute lineups in the second half, especially in the final quarter. However, the process and content of the game can still provide some reference, so the Clippers' loss to their old enemy the Nuggets should be said to be a mixed blessing. First of all, Harden, the core of the backcourt, dreams of returning to playoff mode. Of course, this is more of a joke from fans, who think that his performance is not as good as expected. Harden also has a bright spot in this game, that is, in less than 24 minutes of playing, he sent 11 assists. This data leads all players. Harden does have two brushes in series offense.

However, even in the preseason, Harden's independent offensive ability was not that outstanding. In this game, he made 1 of 6 shots, only 5 points and 5 rebounds, and basically did not have the ability to break through and tear, which is terrible. The two substitute guards, Paul and Dunn, only made 2 of 8 shots in total, and only scored 5 points in total. Since sending away Norman Powell in the offseason, the outside world has been a little worried about the Clippers' ability to score points in the backcourt. They originally expected Bill's arrival to make up for the losses and even strengthen their outside firepower. However, Bill's absence in this game and his appalling attendance rate in the past few years will eventually be a hidden danger.

Another good news for the Clippers is that veteran insider Brook Lopez has filled the vacancy. It should be said that the Clippers have had a problem in the past few seasons. That is, although Zubac is improving, his frontcourt partner is not strong enough, and as long as Zubac takes a rest, the Clippers' inside door will be wide open, which means there is no qualified backup center. But Brook Lopez came this summer. Although his condition is far from his peak, he has no problem being a substitute center. Moreover, Brook Lopez hit 3 three-pointers in this game, effectively opening up the space on the court. He also scored 15 points and blocked 3 shots, which gave the team more strategic weapons.

Although Brook Lopez was accurate, other teammates kept hitting the mark. The Clippers made 9 of 37 shots from beyond the three-point line, almost smashing the basket. If we talk about substitutes or even water dispensers, anyway, in the regular season, there are not many opportunities, and there is no significance for discussion. The Clippers' regular starters, Zubac, have no shooting range, and neither Leonard nor Derrick Jones Jr., so the offensive space is quite crowded.