Denver Nuggets vs LA Clippers Match Player Stats (Feb 19, 2026)

Looking for the full Denver Nuggets vs LA Clippers match player stats from February 19, 2026? You landed in the right place. The LA Clippers hosted the Nuggets at Crypto.com Arena and held on for a razor-thin 115-114 win in a game that went down to the wire. Bennedict Mathurin went off for 38 points off the bench to steal the show, while Nikola Jokic put up a monster 22-point, 17-rebound double-double in a losing effort. One point. That was the entire margin.

Final Score and Quarter-by-Quarter Breakdown

Denver won the second quarter decisively and kept the game level through four, but that brutal third quarter from LA is where the game shifted. The Clippers outscored the Nuggets 33-25 in Q3, and that 8-point cushion is essentially what held up at the final buzzer.

LA Clippers Player Stats

Clippers Scoring Leaders

Clippers Advanced Stats

Denver Nuggets Player Stats

Nuggets Scoring Leaders

Nuggets Advanced Stats

Head-to-Head Team Stats Comparison

What Actually Decided This Game

So how do you lose a game where you hit more threes, grab more boards, and run the floor better? Denver found out the hard way.

The Nuggets had a 10-point lead at some stage and were the better team in transition, racking up 22 fast break points to LA’s 16. They also finished with more total rebounds (54 vs 53) and more assists (29 vs 27). On paper, Denver controlled large chunks of this game.

But three things killed them.

Turnovers. Denver gave the ball away 17 times. The Clippers turned those into 20 points off turnovers. That’s essentially the game right there. LA only coughed it up 14 times by comparison, and their 2.25 assist-to-turnover ratio was clearly better than Denver’s 1.71.

Bench production gap. LA’s bench dropped 49 points, led by Mathurin’s absurd 38-point performance. Denver’s second unit contributed just 29. That’s a 20-point swing from players who weren’t even starters.

Paint dominance. The Clippers scored 58 points in the paint to Denver’s 50. In a one-possession game, that edge matters more than it sounds.

Bennedict Mathurin’s 38-Point Breakout Explained

Let’s be real: this was Mathurin’s night. Coming off the bench, he went 12-of-22 from the field, 2-of-6 from three, and 12-of-13 from the free throw line for 38 points. His true shooting percentage was 68.5%, which is elite territory for any player, let alone a bench guy going up against Denver’s defense.

He also added 4 assists, 3 steals, and 5 rebounds. His efficiency score of 30.5 was easily the highest on either team. He drew 12 fouls, got to the line a bunch, and converted when it counted. He was a nightmare matchup all night.

Nikola Jokic’s Near-Perfect Night That Still Wasn’t Enough

Jokic had himself a game too. 22 points, 17 rebounds, 6 assists is a typical MVP-level line. He was the best big man on the floor and Denver ran a ton of offense through him. The issue? He also turned the ball over 6 times, which directly led to 6 points for the Clippers.

That combined with his 4/7 free throw shooting (57.1%) on a night Denver needed every single point left some points on the table. On a team that lost by one, those misses sting.

For a deeper dive into player-by-player performance breakdowns from recent NBA matchups, Tophill Sports is worth bookmarking.

Julian Strawther’s Shooting Display

One of the quieter standout performances came from Julian Strawther, who came off the bench and knocked down 6-of-10 from three-point range for 18 points. A 60% three-point shooting night is remarkable by any standard. His effective FG% of 81.8% and true shooting of 81.8% were among the best on either team.

The kid was efficient, kept his turnovers low, and gave Denver a real offensive lift. If he had gotten more support from the rest of the bench, the result might have been different.

Kawhi Leonard’s Workmanlike 23

Leonard did what Leonard does. He scored 23 points in a controlled, methodical way, getting to his spots and finishing at the rim. He went 7-of-11 on two-point attempts (63.6%), drew 5 fouls, and hit 6 of 8 free throws.

The three-point shooting was a miss though, just 1-of-7 (14.3%). On a night where the Clippers as a team shot 24.2% from three, LA needed Kawhi to be sharper from deep. He was a minus-9 in his time on court, but the Clippers won anyway.

Kris Dunn: The Quiet Impact Player

Eight assists. Eight rebounds. Two steals. Two points. That’s a Kris Dunn game, and his 2.67 assist-to-turnover ratio was actually the best of any Clipper with significant playmaking responsibility. He didn’t score, but the ball moved better when he was on the floor. His efficiency score of 7.0 understates his defensive and playmaking value in this one.

Key Takeaways from the Nuggets vs Clippers Box Score

A few things stand out when you really dig into the Denver Nuggets vs Clippers box score from this matchup:

• The three-point gap didn’t matter. Denver shot better from three (32.5% vs 24.2%) and made more threes (13 vs 8), but still lost because of the bench scoring gap and paint points.
• Free throw differential. The Clippers shot 83.3% from the line on 30 attempts. Denver shot 74.2% on 31. That gap in efficiency added up.
• Transition game split. Denver clearly won the fast break battle (22 vs 16 points), but it wasn’t enough to overcome the turnover problem.
• John Collins’ double-double. 11 points and 12 rebounds with 3 blocks is exactly what a power forward needs to do in a tight game. He was a stabilizing force for LA on both ends.
• Bruce Brown’s efficiency. He shot 66.7% from the field and 60% from three for 19 points in what was probably the cleanest offensive game from a Nuggets player on the night.

What This Result Means Going Forward

This was the second meeting between these two teams in the 2025-26 season. Denver had beaten the Clippers 122-109 back on January 30 when they hosted LA at Ball Arena. This Feb 19 rematch in LA flipped the result.

Both teams are grinding through a busy stretch of games. Denver still has serious Western Conference playoff aspirations built around the Jokic-Murray core. The Clippers, with Mathurin emerging as a genuine scoring weapon and Leonard showing flashes of his best self, are proving they can be competitive on any given night.

One point separated these teams. It’ll matter when standings get tight.

Full Game Summary at a Glance

Final: LA Clippers 115, Denver Nuggets 114 Date: February 19, 2026 | Venue: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles

That’s everything you need on the Denver Nuggets vs LA Clippers match player stats from February 19, 2026. A game of margins, turnovers, and a bench performance from Mathurin that nobody saw coming at that scale. Denver will want this one back.