On Saturday afternoon, the Los Angeles Clippers fell behind 0-1 in their first round playoff series vs the Denver Nuggets with a hard-fought road loss in overtime. The Clippers controlled this game for large stretches of the afternoon thanks to a strong performance from James Harden, but ultimately, turnovers and an inability to get stops doomed Los Angeles down the stretch.

After the game, Harden was asked whether or not Denver's notorious altitude played a role in the Clippers' diminished play as the game wore on.

“I don't know,” said Harden with a laugh, per Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints. “I'm trying to figure it out too like literally. Trying to figure out what the hell was the reason for it. So we'll watch the film, get better, and be ready for Game 2.”

Harden also spoke on the Clippers' turnover woes.

“That’s the game. That’s the game right there… it was turnovers that were unforced. It wasn’t anything they did. It was us,” he said.

It should be noted that Harden accounted for only two of the Clippers' 20 turnovers on the afternoon, largely doing a great job of protecting the ball and orchestrating the Los Angeles offense.

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A tough loss for the Clippers

Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) defends on LA Clippers guard James Harden (1) in the first quarter at Ball Arena.
Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

While going down 0-1 is by no means a death sentence in an NBA playoff series, the Clippers are likely kicking themselves for the opportunities that they squandered during this game.

Los Angeles saw a quiet night from Michael Porter Jr. and did a relatively solid job defending Nikola Jokic, along with some hot shooting from unexpected players like Kris Dunn and Nic Batum. Despite this, the Clippers were still unable to pick up a win that would have given them home court advantage in the series.

Now, Los Angeles will set its sights on Game 2, which is about as close to a must-win as you can get at this point in a series. That game is slated to tip off at 10:00 PM ET on Monday evening, once again from the Ball Arena in Denver.