NBA: Nuggets stroll past shorthanded Clippers
FILE – Aaron Gordon #50 of the Denver Nuggets shoots the ball against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center on October 21, 2022 in San Francisco, California. Ezra Shaw/Getty Images/AFP
Aaron Gordon scored 29 points, Jamal Murray had 21 points and nine assists and the Denver Nuggets beat the host Los Angeles Clippers 114-104 on Friday.
Murray’s production came after he missed a victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday due to heel soreness. Nikola Jokic contributed 19 points, 13 rebounds and six assists for the Nuggets, who have won their past three road games.
Article continues after this advertisementThe Nuggets prevailed despite watching the Clippers shoot 54.4 percent from the field. Denver held Los Angeles to just four offensive rebounds.
Toyota Game Recap: @Nuggets take care of business in LA totaling eight road wins with tonight's victory over the Clippers. pic.twitter.com/yH4duVxGIg
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John Wall had 23 points and Terance Mann added 16 for the Clippers, who were missing a significant amount of offensive firepower.
Article continues after this advertisementLos Angeles played without Paul George (hamstring), Kawhi Leonard (ankle) and Luke Kennard (calf). The Clippers lost their last two games, each time playing without their high-profile trio.
The Nuggets started fast, scoring 10 consecutive points after the Clippers made the initial basket. Denver led 31-26 after one quarter and pushed the advantage to 64-52 at halftime.
The Clippers trailed by double digits at the break despite shooting 62.5 percent from the field. They committed 11 turnovers in the first half that the Nuggets turned into 18 points.
Denver led 85-68 with 2:05 remaining in the third quarter before the Clippers made a run. Los Angeles cut the deficit to 87-77 at the end of the period and could have pulled within five points with 9:41 remaining in the game, but Denver’s Vlatko Cancar blocked a layup attempt by Wall.
Cancar’s block sparked a 12-2 run that gave the Nuggets a 99-82 lead with 6:54 remaining. Cancar finished with 13 points off the bench.
Denver was up by 21 before Los Angeles scored 15 of the game’s last 19 points.
Marcus Morris Sr. scored 15 points for the Clippers. Reserves Robert Covington and Norman Powell scored 12 and 11, respectively, for Los Angeles, which saw its three-game home winning streak come to an end.
The Nuggets hit just 49.4 percent from the field while committing just six turnovers. Denver forced the Clippers into 14 turnovers.
