Van Exel, Nuggets Stun Clippers

April 19, 1999 / 1:39 AM EDT / CBS/AP

The Denver Nuggets needed something to compensate for the loss of leading scorer Antonio McDyess when he fouled out Sunday night. So Nick Van Exel came to the rescue with two clutch jumpers in the final 37 seconds.

Van Exel's go-ahead 21-footer with 5.5 seconds remaining gave him 34 points for the game and lifted the Nuggets to only their second road victory of the season, 103-102 over the Los Angeles Clippers.

"No one expected us to come in here and win because we only won one (road) game," McDyess said. "But we hung in there and got a big win. We still have a lot to learn. We're not at the point where we can say we're a good team right now because we're still rebuilding."

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Danny Fortson added 20 points and 14 rebounds for the Nuggets, who made their first 26 free throws and finished 27-for-29 from the line.

"We've got some pretty good free throw shooters on the team," said Van Exel, who was 8-of-9. "I wish our field goal percentages were a little better, though."

Maurice Taylor scored a career-high 28 points for the Clippers and Lorenzen Wright grabbed 14 rebounds in place of foul-plagued rookie Michael Olowokandi, who played six scoreless minutes in the first half with three personals.

McDyess scored 18 points for the Nuggets, who had a 99-95 lead when he fouled out with 1:28 remaining. Sherman Douglas made both free throws and Taylor tied the score on a layup with 57 seconds to play, ending the Clippers' 4:51 drought without a field goal.

Van Exel responded by making a tough 19-foot jumper from the left of the key with Douglas in his face, putting the Nuggets back in front 101-99.

"Nick got hot down the stretch," Taylor said. "He hit shots with a guy or two on him. He was hitting shots you just don't often hit in a close game."

Taylor sliced across the lanand tied the score on a reverse layup with 27 seconds on the clock, but Van Exel burned Troy Hudson from just inside the 3-point line and Douglas hit the rim at the buzzer with a 3-point attempt from the top of the key that would have given the victory to Los Angeles.

"It looked good all the way," Van Exel said of his game-winning basket. "I just tried to adjust as well as I could while I was in the air and it fell for me."

Wright's three-point play extended the Clippers' lead to 86-79 with 9:13 remaining and sent McDyess to the bench temporarily with five fouls. But Van Exel hit a short jumper and Fortson made a layup to put Denver ahead 92-91 with four minutes left.

Taylor made two free throws at the other end, before Chauncey Billups canned a 3-pointer that put the Nuggets ahead 95-93 with 3:26 to go.

"Usually we play good for three quarters and always have a breakdown," Van Exel said. "But tonight we hung in there for four quarters and it made the difference."

Van Exel scored nine points in the first six minutes of the third quarter, helping the Nuggets turn a four-point halftime deficit into a 68-63 lead.

"Nick stepped up tremendously for us," McDyess said. "He went out there in the second half and just took over. He played with poise and was relaxed. He started shooting the ball and it seemed like he was unstoppable."

Taylor led the Clippers to a 53-49 halftime lead with 15 points. Olowokandi was hit with his second foul less than three minutes into the game, but Wright pulled down 11 rebounds in the half three more than his season average.

Notes: Denver's other road win came on April 7, 87-84 decision at Vancouver. ... The NBA record for perfect free throw shooting was set by the Utah Jazz, who made all 39 at Portland on Dec. 7, 1982. ... Denver entered the game with a team free throw percentage of .744, fifth best in the league. ... Fortson, who entered the game shooting 70 percent from the free throw line, was 10-for-10 in the first half and did not attempt a foul shot in the second half. ... The Nuggets notched their eighth victory in their 42nd game, compared to their 67th game last season.