Nuggets cruise past Clippers to fourth win in five games

DENVER — Even when Nikola Jokic has an off night, he’s still a must-watch.

Jokic, turned in another quality performance, finishing with 19 points, ten rebounds, and three assists in just 21 minutes, in the Nuggets’ 123-98 win over the Los Angeles Clippers, a slight drop in offensive production from Denver’s last four games.

Still, Jokic was a +20 plus-minute, proving that even when dealing with foul trouble and playing under 25 minutes, he can still make a substantial imprint on any game.

The Nuggets held a 14-point advantage at halftime which ballooned to 30+ after a third-quarter charge led by Jokic and Will Barton, who finished with 18 points on 8-13 shooting including two threes, as Denver outscored Los Angeles 36-26 in the quarter. That stretch powered Denver to the win.

Wison Chandler scored 18 points on 8-12 shooting in his first game back after missing Denver’s loss in San Antonio due to personal reasons. Kenneth Faried had a nice bounce-back game as well, scoring 13 points on 5-7 shooting. As a team, the Nuggets shot 52.9 percent from the field and 41.7 percent from three. Danilo Gallinari also chipped in 18 points on 5-8 shooting.

For Los Angeles, Austin Rivers led the Clippers with 16 points. One-time Denver Nugget Raymond Felton scored 14 points off the bench and J.J. Redick, who scored 12 points in the first half was limited to just two the rest of the way.

Jokic, again, got off to a good start in tonight’s first quarter. The 21-year-old center, who’s earning the Pepsi Center crowd’s admiration and respect by the night, scored six points to go with three rebounds and two assists in the game’s first six minutes.

However, foul trouble plagued Jokic as he picked up two unnecessary fouls over the game’s first two quarters. Jokic finished the first half having played just nine minutes with six points, five rebounds, and five assists.

Picking up the scoring for Denver over the first half was Faried, who scored 11 points on an efficient 4-5 shooting. As a team over tonight’s first two quarters, the Nuggets shot 53.7 percent from the field and 40.0 percent from three, while holding Los Angeles to just 35.3 percent shooting from the field. J.J. Redick led the Clippers with 12 points on 5-11 shooting.

After halftime, the Nuggets came out with a purpose. DeAndre Jordan was frustrating Jokic, but the Serbian responded. Jokic hit an early shot clock three then eventually helped draw Jodan’s fifth foul later on in the quarter.

Jordan then picked a technical foul after he was called for his fifth personal. That was the final bit of theatrics seen from Jordan tonight, as Denver outscored Los Angeles 36-26 in the quarter and Jordan sat on the bench for the remainder of the game.

From there, the Nuggets cruised to victory.

Footnotes

Gary Harris (right ankle sprain) missed his second consecutive game with a right ankle sprain. He’s day-to-day and getting better every day, per Malone.

Emmanuel Mudiay left the game in the third quarter after suffering a minor injury. He was looked at on the

What’s next

The Nuggets have a quick turnaround and are in Minnesota against the Timberwolves Sunday. Gary Harris (right ankle sprain) is questionable for that matchup, according to Malone.