On Saturday afternoon, the Los Angeles Clippers fell behind 0-1 in their first round playoff series vs the Denver Nuggets. The Clippers got a strong performance from James Harden, but ultimately, turnovers and an inability to get stops down the stretch doomed Los Angeles' chances of stealing the game.

After the game, Clippers head coach Ty Lue got 100% real on what the Nuggets did that threw Los Angeles off.

“They got physical. They got more physical defensively,” said Lue, per Law Murray of The Athletic on X. “I thought Joker did a good job of mixing up his coverages, whether he was going to blitz or whether he was going to drop. And we just didn't read it well… I just thought their physicality really changed the game defensively.”

Lue also shared the message he has for his team heading into Game 2.

“They're not gonna foul… just drive to the basket and lay the ball up,” said Lue.

A rough loss for the Clippers

LA Clippers guard James Harden (1) shoots over Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) in overtime at Ball Arena
Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
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Several things went right for the Clippers during Saturday's game in Denver, including an epic performance from James Harden, as well as unexpected contributions from both Nicolas Batum and Kris Dunn.

However, ultimately, the Clippers' 20 turnovers caught up to them down the stretch, as the team was unable to take care of the ball and generate good offense. While he played well for the most part, Kawhi Leonard accounted for seven of the Clippers' turnovers, constantly facing double teams from the Nuggets' defense.

In order to steal Game 2, the Clippers will have to clean up that aspect of the game, which could result from simply getting Harden the ball more. Harden accounted for only two of the Clippers' 20 turnovers on the afternoon despite being the point guard.

Overall, if Game 1 was any indication, this could be a long and hard-fought series between two Western Conference teams with legitimate title aspirations this year.

Game 2 is set for Monday evening at 10:00 PM ET, once again from the Ball Arena in Denver.