Darius Garland after Clippers beat Nuggets: play fast, share the ball, and ‘that’s what we play for’

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Oct. 14, 2026 — Darius Garland closed the Clippers’ preseason the way Tyronn Lue has been asking him to play: fast, sharing the ball, and treating Intuit Dome like a place where everyone touches it. In a 122-110 win over Denver, Garland finished with 14 points and seven assists in 23 minutes — 5-of-12 from the field, 1-of-4 from three, 3-of-3 at the line — and spent his postgame availability explaining how he wants the offense to feel once the games start counting.

Starter Keaton Wagler added 12 points, five rebounds and four assists in 28 minutes. Rui Hachimura led Los Angeles with 16. The Clippers finished the exhibition schedule with a statement night against Nikola Jokić’s Nuggets and open the regular season next week.

‘Playing my brand of basketball’

Asked how he stays free with so much of the offense running through him — especially with key pieces still out — Garland refused to frame it as pressure. “Not trying to put pressure on myself at all,” he said. “I’m going out there playing my brand of basketball. Me and T talk a lot. So he wants me to play fast. I like to play fast.”

Ball screens are the other half of that identity. “A lot of ball screens. I like a lot of ball screens,” Garland said. “So I mean it’s working out pretty well right now. Just trying to get better with making the right reads for everybody, making sure they’re in the right spots.”

On ownership of a group that will lean on him early, he kept the job description short. “Playing my brand of basketball, getting everybody involved,” Garland said. “Make sure everybody’s happy first of all — got to make this job enjoyable. … Go swing the ball, share the ball, play fast.”

Happy for Wagler’s home start

Garland and Wagler shared the backcourt in the starting five, and Garland made a point of celebrating the rookie’s first Intuit Dome tip. “Yeah, it was good. I’m happy for him just to get a home start,” Garland said. “So it’s super cool just have him out there on the floor. He can feel that energy, feel the love from the crowd. And just like you said, he helps a lot bringing the ball up and a really good force baser for me when I’m driving and kicking. … His confidence like it went up super high tonight. So I love that first and foremost.”

When teams load up on him and Hachimura, Garland said the answer is already drilled: get off the ball. “Try to get off the ball as quick as we can, make the extra pass,” he said. “We trust our team — so we get doubled, get off, we can make three from there.”

Keeping the vibes high

Asked what “keeping guys happy” looks like across a long season — not just camp — Garland pointed back to the same habits. “Touching the ball, moving the ball, playing fast,” he said. “Playing hard on the other end first and foremost so we can play fast. But yeah, just keep the ball moving, keep the vibes high in the locker room.”

With only three preseason games on the Clippers’ slate, someone asked if the group wants more practice or more exhibitions. Garland did not hesitate. “No,” he said, then added: “That’s what we play for.”

Why it matters

Los Angeles will open short-handed, which puts even more of the creating load on Garland. His Oct. 14 message matched the box score — seven assists, pace as the brand, and a clear endorsement of Wagler as a second ball-handler who can take pressure off the primary. Opening night is next week.