The featured image sums it up.

The Los Angeles Clippers had all the momentum on Friday night at Ball Arena, having trimmed a 15-point fourth-quarter deficit down to just four points, and had the Denver crowd holding its breath. 

Then it all slipped away. 

A controversial foul call, a Nikola Jokic takeover, and suddenly the Clippers were walking off the court with a 122-109 loss that snapped their three-game winning streak and dropped them to 22-25 on the season.

Rally Falls Short in Frustrating Fashion

The Clippers looked dead in the water when Denver opened the fourth quarter with a Tim Hardaway Jr. three-pointer to push the lead to 15, but Kobe Sanders had other ideas. 

The young guard scored eight straight points to spark a 13-2 run that made it a four-point game and gave Los Angeles life when it looked like the game was over. 

The Ball Arena crowd went quiet, and for a moment it felt like the Clippers were about to steal one on the road against a Nuggets team getting their superstar back from injury.

Then came the call that changed everything. Hardaway hoisted a three-pointer and drew a foul that left the Clippers' bench frustrated, and he knocked down all three free throws to push the lead back to seven. 

The problem is, there was no foul called on the play. It was an airball, and the ball went to the Clippers after Hardaway Jr. fell to the ground clutching his ankle. 

The referees congregated to review…a phantom foul call? A baffling moment and one that probably cost the Clippers the game.

From there, Jokic took over and scored 11 points in less than four minutes to put the game out of reach, finishing with 31 points and 12 rebounds in just 25 minutes of action in his first game back from a knee injury.

Harden, Leonard Can't Finish the Job

James Harden did everything he could to will the Clippers back into the game, finishing with 25 points and nine assists, but the offense went cold when it mattered most down the stretch. 

Kawhi Leonard added 21 points, while John Collins chipped in 18 and Ivica Zubac had 13, but the Clippers simply could not get stops when they needed them as Jokic carved up their defense in the fourth quarter. 

The three-time MVP found Peyton Watson with a behind-the-back pass for a dunk and then buried a three-pointer to cap off his dominant return, and Los Angeles had no answer for him despite their best efforts.

What It Means Going Forward

The loss stings because the Clippers had built real momentum over the past several weeks and looked nothing like the team that started the season 6-21. 

Denver improves to 33-16 while the Clippers now sit three games under .500 with plenty of work left to do. 

Ty Lue will have to address the fourth-quarter breakdown before Sunday's game in Phoenix, because letting winnable games slip away is not something a team fighting for playoff positioning can afford.