DENVER — Andre Miller filled a gaping hole in his basketball resume yesterday.
“I’ve never hit a game-winning shot,” the 37-year-old guard said after sinking a nifty layup with just over a second left that gave the Nuggets a 97-95 win over the Warriors in their playoff opener.
Not in high school. Not in college. Not in his 13 NBA seasons.
“Never,” Miller repeated. “I’ve taken a couple and missed or turned the ball over. But that was big for a first playoff game.”
With youthful Denver in danger of losing at home for the first time in more than three months, Miller stepped up and scored 18 of his playoff career-high 28 points in the frenetic fourth quarter that made up for a plodding start to this much-anticipated series between two of the NBA’s highest-octane teams.
Sixth-seeded Golden State trailed 93-92 when Stephen Curry was pick-pocketed by Ty Lawson, whose layup made it a three-point game with 35 seconds remaining.
Curry, who shot his way into NBA history by sinking a record 272 3-pointers this season, got a whistling pass from Jarrett Jack in the left corner and swished a contested 3 with Lawson all over him and 14 seconds left.
“That’s a tough shot,” Lawson said. “He pumped-faked, I still contested it and he knocked it down. That’s what he does.”
With the game tied at 95, Denver called timeout and coach George Karl started going through the options.
“We were all looking at each other. Andre was hot, we were kind of like, ‘Why don’t we just get out of the way and let Andre have the ball,’” Corey Brewer said. “That’s what happened. He had Draymond Green on him and we kind of like those odds.”
So do the Warriors.
“We like that matchup for Draymond to come in and get that stop for us,” Curry said. “He just made a quick adjustment at the end to get the ball on the backboard.”
And for once, a game-winner fluttered through the net for Miller.
“A very crafty guy,” Green said. “I thought I was in front of him and he made one slithery move and just get a half a step on me and that’s all he needed to finish the shot.”
The Warriors had no timeouts left, so they inbounded the ball and Curry’s desperation shot wasn’t close as the horn sounded and the Nuggets swarmed the veteran.
“I’m never surprised with Andre Miller,” Brewer said. “I say he’s ‘unguardable.’ … If you give Andre Miller the ball he’s one of the toughest guys to guard in NBA.”
Clippers 112, Grizzlies 91
In Los Angeles, Chris Paul led seven players in double figures with 23 points, Eric Bledsoe scored 15 and the Clippers beat the Grizzlies 112-91 while getting just one dunk in their playoff opener.
Chauncey Billups had 14 points, and Caron Butler and Jamal Crawford had 13 apiece on a night when Blake Griffin was held to 10 points and five rebounds before fouling out with 3:32 left as Lob City was grounded.
Reserve Jerryd Bayless led the Grizzlies with 19 points, Marc Gasol had 16 points and four fouls, and Zach Randolph had 13 points and four rebounds while playing with five fouls in the rematch of last year’s first-round series, won by the Clippers in seven games. Bayless was one of four Grizzlies with four fouls.