Bennedict Mathurin breaks silence after dropping 38 points in Clippers home debut vs. Nuggets

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – The LA Clippers opened up the post-All-Star break portion of their season with a matchup against the mighty Denver Nuggets, led by three-time MVP Nikola Jokic. The game got off to a rough start for the Clippers. That is, until Bennedict Mathurin checked in.

Denver took a 13-4 lead over the Clippers quickly into Thursday night’s contest, trapping Kawhi Leonard 30 feet from the basket and forcing him to make other players create. Bennedict Mathurin checked in midway through the third quarter, and immediately contributed 11 points off the bench in six first quarter minutes.

It was a far cry from the Mathurin everyone saw debut for the Clippers a week ago against the Houston Rockets, and was the one the Clippers needed against the Nuggets.

“The conversation we had was in the first game in Houston,” head coach Tyronn Lue said of Bennedict Mathurin. “I thought he came out really passive, turned down some shots, wasn’t aggressive. I pulled him to the side during a timeout and told him, ‘you’ve got to be aggressive, you’ve got to be who you are, and we’ll figure out the rest.’ We needed it every bit of it tonight. Him being aggressive, getting to the basket, getting to the free throw line, and making some big shots for us.”

Mathurin not only jump-started the Clippers offense and didn’t let up all night. In just his third game since the trade deadline deal that brought him over from the Indiana Pacers, Bennedict Mathurin recorded a Clippers franchise record for points in a home debut. The Clippers guard led the way with 38 points on 12-of-22 shooting from the field and 12-of-13 from the free throw line.

“Man, it’s going to be awesome [playing for Tyronn Lue],” Mathurin said after the win. He might end up being my best friend. He told me to be aggressive, man. He told me to be myself, and I feel like he really knows my game. He really knows what I can do. So glad to have him as a coach. And I think that bringing everybody along, we can do a lot of great things.”

Kawhi Leonard, who was dealing with an illness, recorded 23 points, four rebounds, and three assists, but saw double-teams and traps all night by the Nuggets defense that made it difficult for him to find a rhythm. He did, however, have a 10 point third quarter that helped the Clippers win the minutes that Bennedict Mathurin was off the floor.

“The trade happened so fast, man,” Mathurin added. “I got time to speak with [Kawhi] a little bit, just to catch up with him after All-Star. Great guy! So pretty much trying to build that connection as quick as we can so we can make a deep run in the playoffs.

Mathurin started the game with 11 points in the opening period and closed it out with 16 points in the final frame to cap off his 38-point performance.

“It’s fun to see how my teammates were happy for me,” Mathurin said after the win. “Just winning, actually winning my second game with the team. So far, so good.”

Mathurin recorded his second straight game with double-digit free throw attempts, repeatedly displaying an ability to take contact, finish through contact, and get to the free throw line.

“I think that I’ve always been just being aggressive, just going to the rim.,” Mathurin added after the win. “It’s one of my biggest strengths. So I think that, you know, just knowing when to take a shot or be aggressive, kind of the difference between that.”

In three games with the Clippers thus far, Bennedict Mathurin is averaging 21 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 3.0 steals per game in 30 minutes a night.

The Clippers are right back at it Friday night when they take on the Los Angeles Lakers inside Staples Center, which will be the second game of a back-to-back set.

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