DENVER – In a dominant performance, the Denver Nuggets secured a 126-103 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night. Jamal Murray led the Nuggets with 21 points and nine assists, while Russell Westbrook contributed 19 points and eight assists to help propel the team to victory, despite both squads being short-handed.
Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard was absent from the game, as he needed to return to Los Angeles to assist his family in dealing with ongoing wildfires. Meanwhile, Nuggets center Nikola Jokic missed his second consecutive game due to illness, and Denver has struggled without him, holding a 2-3 record in games he has not played this season.
Norman Powell was a standout for the Clippers, scoring 30 points, maintaining a 27.6 average against the Nuggets across their four matchups this season. James Harden contributed 16 points, and Ivica Zubac added 10 points to the effort.
The Nuggets began to seize control early in the first quarter, embarking on an impressive 20-3 run. By late in the second quarter, Denver had a commanding lead of 55-30, but the Clippers managed to reduce the margin to 16 points going into halftime.
The second half saw the Nuggets pull away once more, establishing a comfortable buffer mid-way through the third quarter with another offensive surge.
Key takeaways from the game included the Clippers’ struggles at the free-throw line; Powell entered the match with an impressive 85.2% success rate but missed three of six attempts in the third quarter. As a team, the Clippers hit just 5 of 15 free throws in that period.
On the Nuggets’ side, head coach Michael Malone made a notable adjustment, opting to start DeAndre Jordan in place of Jokic. Jordan’s presence was impactful, as he registered a season-high of 12 points and matched his season-best with nine rebounds.
The pivotal moment of the game came during a strong third quarter for Jordan, who scored two free throws, executed two alley-oop dunks, and tipped in an assist from Westbrook, extending the Nuggets’ lead from 16 to 27 points.
Statistically, the Nuggets improved their record to 8-0 when playing on the second night of back-to-back games, contrasting with their 2-6 record in the initial game of such series.
Looking ahead, the Clippers are set to host the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday night, while the Nuggets will face off against the Brooklyn Nets at home on Friday.
