Ty Lue Expecting 'Norman Powell Game' in Clippers-Nuggets Series

After dropping Game 1 at Ball Arena, the LA Clippers evened their first round series with the Denver Nuggets on Monday night. Securing a 105-102 victory in Game 2, LA grabbed home court advantage heading into the first-ever playoff game at Intuit Dome.

While the story of Game 2 was Kawhi Leonard, who finished with 39 points on 15-for-19 shooting, LA’s second-leading scorer in the fourth quarter was Norman Powell. Starting the game 0-for-5, Powell continued what was an abysmal start to the series. After shooting just 5-for-12 in the Game 1 loss, Powell was 6-for-18 overall in the series entering halftime of Game 2.

Despite telling reporters prior to Monday's game that he had changes in mind if certain issues persisted early in that contest, Clippers head coach Ty Lue stuck with Powell and it paid off. Scoring seven points in the fourth quarter, Powell made three huge shots including a go-ahead three with 1:30 remaining.

Norman Powell comes through.

Clippers lead 103-100 with 1:30 left. pic.twitter.com/6pwjPMtkm0
— Joey Linn (@joeylinn_) April 22, 2025

"He has a mentality that if he misses a shot, he is not worried about the next, he is taking it," Lue said of Powell after the game. "That is just who he is, and he puts too much work in every single day not to play well and not to shoot the ball well."

Lue was not the only prominent figure on LA’s side who maintained belief in Powell amid his early-series struggles. Speaking after Game 2, Leonard expressed his confidence in both Powell and Bogdan Bogdanovic, who is scoreless in the series.

"They’ve been through the season," Leonard said. "They’re NBA players. It’s the same game. It’s just a title on it now. NBA Playoffs. That’s it. Guys is playing harder. They’ve been through it. They’ve had games where they missed shots early and they stuck with it. I think they’ll be fine."

Kawhi Leonard on Norman Powell and Bogdan Bogdanovic playing through struggles:

“They’ve been through the season. They’re NBA players. It’s the same game. It’s just a title on it now. NBA Playoffs. That’s it. Guys is playing harder. They’ve been through it. They’ve had games… pic.twitter.com/2hEHk8j8Nw
— Joey Linn (@joeylinn_) April 22, 2025

At Wednesday’s practice, Lue said he believes a Norman Powell game is coming in this series.

"He puts in too much work to get discouraged,” Lue said. “He’s gotta trust in his work. He works too hard. Sometimes I think too much. I left him in at the end of the game, you saw what he did for us last year at the end of games, so this wasn’t any different. I’m glad he was able to make those three shots in the fourth quarter, and hopefully that gets him going the rest of the series."

Lue added, "We all have trust and belief in him, and he has belief in himself as well. He’ll be a lot better."

Powell shared that same confidence, highlighting the belief his star teammates have in him.

"It’s really helpful," Powell said of his teammates trusting him. "It just shows they trust the work, they trust in my abilities as a player, as a teammate. Around this time, you need that. You need the confidence in your star players."

Powell added, "Everybody around here knows the amount I put into this game each and every day. Whether it’s a good game or bad game I’m in here the next day putting in the work and getting better and watching film and seeing how I can be the best version of myself for this team."

Norman Powell on the confidence Kawhi Leonard and James Harden have in him:

“It’s really helpful. It just shows they trust the work, they trust in my abilities as a player, as a teammate. Around this time, you need that. You need the confidence in your star players… It’s a team… pic.twitter.com/6UYohgRDRq
— Joey Linn (@joeylinn_) April 23, 2025

Through two games this series, Powell is shooting just 1-for-4 on what the NBA classifies as wide open three-point shots. He is also just 3-for-10 within 10-feet of the basket, an area he converted on 58.7% of his attempts from during the regular season (via NBA stats).

It is worth nothing that in his last 14 games of the regular season, which followed a 12-game injury absence, Powell’s numbers were down across the board. Averaging 15.1 points in those games, he converted on 43.8% from the field and 38.9% from three. The Clippers went 12-2 in these games, which is why Lue remained adamant that Powell’s decreased production was not a concern as long as the team continued to win.

Even that version of Powell would put the Clippers in a much better position against Denver than what they’ve gotten so far. But the Clippers don’t just expect him to tread water in this series, they see him as a real difference maker on the verge of a breakthrough.