The Denver Nuggets run the Los Angeles Clippers out of the Ball Arena 120-98

On By Littum

The Denver Nuggets looked a little lost in the second quarter and had just 48 points in the first half, but they stormed to 72 in the second half and routed the Los Angeles Clippers 120-98. Norman Powell and Kevin Porter Jr. led the Clippers in scoring with 16 points each, while Harden added 15 but had 9 turnovers as Denver’s defense was especially strong for most of the second half. The Nuggets had a very understated game from Nikola Jokic, who was the target of every member of the Clippers every time he entered the paint, finishing with 16 points and 7 assists in just 29 minutes after sitting out the entire 4th quarter due to Denver’s. big lead. Jamal Murray led Denver with 20 points and looked refreshed after missing several games with a hamstring problem, while Michael Porter Jr. sparked the turnaround with double-digit scoring in the third quarter. It was a team effort on both ends tonight, and that effort led to an easy win down the stretch.

Game Flow

The Clippers won the tip, but Jokic got a steal in the paint. Kris Dunn made his first basket while MPJ missed his first 2 attempts, then Harden hit from deep. Jokic and MPJ miscommunicated on a lob, but Jamal Murray buried a pull-up three, then Denver forced a turnover and Aaron Gordon drove the rim for a bucket and 6-5 Denver lead after his free throw. Murray was active early, but Denver had three turnovers before Jokic drove the rim for his first basket off a Murray assist. Jokic again drove for another layup his next down, answered by Zubac at the other end. AG was fouled under the bucket by Norman Powell and made both free throws, then Harden muscled the next down for another bucket. James Harden went down on one side and didn’t get the call, and in transition Murray hit another 3 a few feet behind the line to make it 17-10 Nuggets early.

Powell missed another three-point attempt, Jokic turned it over and Dunn hit a layup over Nikola. MPJ missed a 3 right away, but finished off a transition dunk by AG the next time. Dunn hit a three, Harden hit a layup to make it as close as four, but Jokic got the line at the other end. MPJ made a pair of free throws and Bones Hyland missed an oop that allowed Watson to score in transition for Denver. Mo Bamba finished off a dunk the next, Peyton Watson hit a tough jumper that fell for Denver, but Kevin Porter Jr. hit a lucky three to cut Denver’s lead to 29-22 after one.

The second quarter started with Peyton Watson free throws and a missed 3 by Julian Strawther, but Strawther grabbed a defensive rebound and took it down the court for the finish on the next. Jamal Murray hit a midranger when Hyland died on a screen as Denver got the lead back to double digits, and Russell Westbrook missed an oop to Deandre Jordan, but they nailed it on the next possession. However, the Nuggets still had turnover issues as Murray had a couple of careless layups in the second quarter. Another Russ turnover, 4th in 5 possessions, left Denver up 36-26. Murray had a nice steal of Harden, but didn’t get the whistle the other way. Westbrook missed a layup, but Jordan tipped it in, but then Russ converted a steal — Denver’s 11th turnover in 18 minutes — and James Harden hit a 3. Jokic came right back as the Clippers hit another 3, then a jumper for Los Angeles cut it to 38-36 Denver. The Nuggets had just a handful of assists and couldn’t find their touch from the field, relinquishing the lead to the Clippers after a 13-0 run in which Denver mostly hung around when they didn’t turn it over. The Nuggets scored 10 points in 10 minutes before Christian Braun finally made his first bucket in transition and then dunked off Jokic’s first assist. Nikola Jokic buried a three and Braun dunked hard in transition in the waning seconds, and despite turning the ball over 14 times in the half, the Nugget held a 48-47 lead at halftime.

Denver had back-to-back turnovers right at the start of the third quarter before Jamal hit a long jumper, but then turned it around to give the Clippers a 3. Braun missed another 3, while Batum made one for the Clippers as the Nuggets continued. playing Jokic around the perimeter, where he neither shot nor passed, but instead worked to get his teammates open with screens and positioning. After a timeout, Jamal hit a reverse layup, then AG buried a 3 to tie it at 55. Jamal hit a free throw after another Clippers 3, then deflected a Harden attempt that turned into a Braun transition bucket while Denver’s defense stepped up. MPJ buried a layup three, Murray and Gordon both missed shots and MPJ got back to the free throw line to push Denver’s lead to 66-60 just before burying a follow-up dunk on a Jokic miss. He then helped turn over Harden and got a nice rebound on a three to make it 71-60. Denver forced a couple of turnovers and MPJ got the ball to Jokic for the score. Jokic missed a spinning layup but buried a three, but Denver allowed some drives from the Clippers to cut Denver’s lead back to 10. Strawther had a wonderful fast break pass to MPJ for a finish in the waning seconds, and Denver ended up firing on all cylinders. 83-69.

Murray hit a free throw line jumper early in the fourth, Julian Strawther made a nice floater and then got to the line and played hard near the rim. Westrbrook forced another turnover but couldn’t convert and Bones Hyland hit a three. Watson made a corner 3, Russ finished off a lucky layup and Murray answered a Clippers dunk with a paint finish around Hyland. Jamal then stripped Bones and put on a great finish with a monster Strawther dunk for a 100-78 lead. Denver’s defense held the Clippers down, Watson scored in transition again. Russell Westbrook grabbed another steal and dunked the fastbreak to punctuate Denver’s rout as several bench players chipped in to make it 106-84. Watson grabbed another steal and layup, Jalen Pickett and Zeke Nnaji helped with the bench points, and Denver held the Clippers under 100 and won 120-98.

Final thoughts

– Denver had a lapse in the second but proved they could overcome. Giving up an 18-1 run in the second would normally give them trouble this year, but the Nuggets righted the ship and retook the lead at the half, and then even a slow start to the second couldn’t stop them. Once they got going in the second, they never looked back, squeezing the Clippers on defense and driving Los Angeles at every opportunity in transition. MPJ was big in the third on both ends, bringing a much-needed scoring presence as well as rebounding and some nice transition work. Jamal Murray also worked hard on both ends, with only turnovers marring his box score, and Jokic taking a big chunk of the night off in terms of his workload. He screened and fed players, but the Clippers were intent on showing they would pack the paint to stop Jokic at all costs to win — and they handily lost with that plan.

– It wasn’t perfect, but that’s what made it beautiful in the end. The first half was maddeningly disjointed, with nasty turnovers everywhere. Denver had 22 on the night – but managed to force 21 of their own, and aside from the odd stretch in the second quarter, they never stopped playing hard. It usually shows in rebounding, and the Nuggets destroyed LA 56-39 on the boards. Denver ran hard in transition, so while the assist totals were ugly early, the Nuggets finished with 23 and showed they would take personal responsibility for the tough play that had been missing last week in the bad losses. Denver won the first quarter, still led at halftime, ended the third quarter by double digits and then won the fourth. The bench accounted for 40 of Denver’s 120 points – not something that has happened much this year. If effort was the missing piece, then tonight showed that the Nuggets don’t need to play the prettiest game to win. They can win by getting dirty and scrappy, and keep the pressure on. Denver found that switch in the second half when they needed it — but they found it because they kept looking for it, undeterred. More of that kind of drive the rest of the season, please.