The Clippers seemed to enjoy their first postseason experience in nine seasons, withstanding the Denver Nuggets' late rally in an 89-87 victory before a raucous sellout crowd at Staples Center.

Vladimir Radmanovic made two free throws with 59.8 seconds remaining, and Denver's Carmelo Anthony missed a potential tying shot at the buzzer, helping the Clippers overcome a series of mistakes down the stretch in their first playoff victory since May 5, 1993, against the Houston Rockets.

"The intensity was turned way, way up," said Elton Brand, who scored a team-high 21 points. "It was a lot of fun. It's great."

"The only part [of tonight's game] that the guys didn't know about was that they [officials] don't blow a lot of whistles," Coach Mike Dunleavy said. "The guys expected to get a few calls they didn't get."