Benedict Maturin breaks his silence after dropping 38 points in his home debut against the Nuggets

INGLWOOD, Calif. – The LA Clippers have opened the stretch of their season after the All-Star break with a match against powerful Denver Nuggetsled by three-time MVP Nikola Jokić. The game got off to a rough start for the Clippers. That is, until Benedict Maturin registered.

Denver jumped out to a quick 13-4 lead over the Clippers on Thursday night, trapping Kawhi Leonard 30 feet from the basket and forcing other players to create. Benedikt Maturin checked in midway through the third quarter and promptly scored 11 points off the bench in six minutes of the first quarter.

It was a far cry from the Maturin everyone saw debuting for the Clippers a week ago against the Houston Rockets, and it 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 Benedict Mathurin. “I thought he came out really passive, blocked some shots, wasn’t aggressive. I pulled him aside during the 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 tonight. He was aggressive, got to the basket, got to the free throw line and made some big shots for us.”

Maturin not only sparked the Clippers offense and didn’t let up all night. In just his third game since the trade deadline deal that brought him from the Indiana Pacers, Benedict Maturin set a Clippers franchise record for points on his 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 great (playing for Tyronn Lue),” Mathurin said after the win. Maybe he’ll 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. I’m glad to have him as a coach. And I think by bringing everyone together, we can do a lot of great things.”

Kawhi Leonard, who was battling an illness, had 23 points, four rebounds and three assists, but he saw double teams and defensive traps from the Nuggets all night that made it difficult for him to find a rhythm. However, he had 10 points in the third quarter to help the Clippers win minutes when Benedict Maturin was out.

“The trade happened so fast, man,” Mathurin added. “I had time to talk to (Kawhi) a little bit, just to catch up with him after the All-Stars. Great guy! I’m pretty much trying to build that relationship as quickly as possible so we can make a deep run in the playoffs.”

Maturin started the game with 11 points in the opening period and finished with 16 points in the final frame to match his 38-point performance.

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

Maturin recorded his second straight game in double figures in free throw attempts, repeatedly showing the ability to take contact, finish through contact and get to the free throw line.

“I think I’ve always just been aggressive, just going to the rim,” Mathurin added after the win. “That’s one of my biggest strengths. So I think it’s, you know, just knowing when to shoot or being aggressive, that’s the difference.”

In the past three games with the Clippers, Benedikt Maturin is averaging 21 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 3.0 steals per game in 30 minutes a day.

The Clippers will be right back on Friday night when they take on the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center for the second game of a back-to-back.