INGLEWOOD — Clippers rookie Keaton Wagler smiled when he thought about starting alongside two-time All-Star point guard Darius Garland in the backcourt. They had been on the court together at various times during the preseason but never at the opening tipoff.
And not at Intuit Dome. Not in front of Clippers fans who already have adopted Wagler as one of their own.
The opening moments, however, might have been too big for the 19-year-old guard, who took a seat after the first 6:34 on Wednesday night as the Clippers closed their brief preseason slate with a 122-110 victory over the Denver Nuggets.
Wagler fared better with the second unit.
Coach Tyronn Lue put him back on the court late in the first quarter when Garland took a seat and he stayed on the court for the start of the second quarter. By then he appeared relaxed and comfortable with Garland and his shot, finishing with 12 points on 4-of-9 shooting, five rebounds and four assists in 28 minutes.
“It was good,” Garland said of playing alongside the No. 5 draft pick. “I’m happy for him just to get a home start … he feels that energy, feels the love from the crowd. And then just like you said, he helps a lot by bringing the ball up and he’s a really good floor spacer for me when I’m driving and kicking. Yeah, it was really good out there.
“His confidence went up super high tonight, so I love that first and foremost.”
Garland had 14 points, seven assists and two rebounds in 23 minutes.
Lue said before the game that he was eager to see how well the two would connect and play off each other. Wagler and Garland exchanged passes early on, but Wagler couldn’t finish with a basket, his 17-foot jumper falling short.
“I think the way teams are playing now, it’s important to try to have two ball handlers on the floor,” Lue said. “And it’s good that Keaton is 6-foot-6 alongside Darius so he can guard multiple positions.”
Wagler said being on the court with Garland gives him time to adjust to the quicker pace and swarming defenses of the NBA.
“I think it’s kind of just made a lot smoother transition, not having to just get thrown right into the fire and have people hound me,” Wagler said. “He brings pressure off me and then I can do the same for him and being able to learn from him and how he reads the ball screens and what he looks for is awesome, too.”
Forward Rui Hachimura struggled early against the Nuggets’ Aaron Gordon, missing his first six shots. With Gordon on the bench for the second half, Hachimura was able to get to his spots and finish with a team-high 16 points on 5-of-12 shooting, including a 3-of-5 showing from 3-point range.
Derrick Jones Jr. added 14 points and rookie forward Baba Miller had 15 points and five rebounds.
Trevon Brazile led the Nuggets with 22 points off the bench. Three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic had five points, six rebounds and seven assists in 17 minutes.
CHRISTIE WAIVED
Guard Cam Christie, who the Clippers selected with the No. 46 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, was waived Wednesday after an uneven two seasons.
Christie, who spent much of his rookie season with the Clippers’ G League team, played in 55 games last season, averaging 2.8 points, 1.4 rebounds and .6 assists.
He is currently on a 48-hour waiver period where other teams can claim him. If he goes unclaimed, he will become an unrestricted free agent. The team still has an open two-way contract spot on the roster, leaving the door open for Christie, who still has another year of two-way contract eligibility.
NOTES
Guard Kris Dunn had the night off after playing in the Clippers’ first two preseason games. … Center Brook Lopez scored nine points on 4-of-6 shooting, including one 3-pointer, and grabbed two rebounds in eight minutes off the bench. … Kobe Sanders (hip) sat out the final preseason game but could see limited minutes in next Wednesday’s season opener against the Sacramento Kings.