Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets beat the L.A. Clippers 114-104

Los Angeles Clippers #22 Terance Mann going up for a layup at the Crypto.com Arena. Photo by Jerry Kelly/TGSportstv1.

LOS ANGELES, CA - The Los Angeles Clippers were short-handed without Paul George, Luke Kennard, and Kawhi Leonard and came up short against the Denver Nuggets 114-104.

John Wall, off the bench, led the Clippers in scoring with 23 points, Terance Mann with 16 points, Marcus Morris Sr. with 15 points, and Robert Covington with 12 points.

Aaron Gordan led the Nuggets in scoring with 29 points, Jamal Murray with 21 points, Nikola Jokic with 19 points and 11 rebounds, and Vlatko Cancar with 13 points.

Marcus Morris Sr. gave the Clippers a 2-0 lead with his jump shot before Bruce Brown would tie the game 2-2. The Nuggets led 5-2 with a three-pointer by Jamal Murray.

Denver went on an 8-0 run to lead, 10-2, capped off by a basket and a free throw by Aaron Gordon. Morris Sr.'s up-and-under move for a layup had the Clippers trailing 10-9. The Nuggets led 15-12 with a jump shot by Nikola Jokic.

Denver Nuggets #50 receiving a pass from his teammate #15 Nikola Jokic to attempt a three-point shot. Photo by Jerry Kelly/TGSportstv1.

Reggie Jackson's jump shot from the right side of the court had the Clippers trailing 17-16. Terance Mann would tie the game 18-18 with his layup.

Kentavious Cadwell Pope would knock down a three-pointer from the top of the key to give the Nuggets a 25-18 lead. The Clippers trail at the end of the first quarter, 31-25.

The Clippers trail 41-33 in the second quarter with a jump shot by John Wall. The Nuggets had to call a time-out after Mann knocked down another jump shot making the score 48-42. Jamal Murry's three-pointer gave the Nuggets a 53-44 lead.

Los Angeles Clippers #11 John Wall scored 15 points against the Denver Nuggets in the first half. Photo by Jerry Kelly/TGSportstv1.

Nikola Jokic's jump shot had the Nuggets up 55-46 with 2:52 left before halftime. Denver led by twelve points, 60-48, with two free throws by Jokic. Morris Sr.'s jump shot made the score 60-50.

Wall's jump shot in the paint had the Clippers trailing 62-52. The Clippers trail at halftime 64-52. Wall led the Clippers in scoring off the bench with 15 points, Mann with 13 points, and Morris Sr. with 9 points.

Jokic led the Nuggets in scoring with 17 points, followed by Murray and Brown, each with 10 points. Denver took care of the basketball committing only four turnovers compared to the Clippers committed eleven turnovers.

"We were being too casual with the basketball in the first half, but addressed that at halftime," coach Tyronn Lue said. "In the second half, we had our chances and got it to seven. The margin of error is very slim, so we got to take advantage of those opportunities. But I thought we did some good things, and we've got some things we've got to clean up."

The Clippers trail 68-61 in the third quarter with a dunk by Zubac. Gordan would give the Nuggets a 76-63 lead with his tip-in basket. Morris Sr. would make a bank shot and had the Clippers trailing 76-65.

Denver Nuggets #50 Nikola Jokic going to basket for a two-handed dunk. Photo by Jerry Kelly/TGSportstv1.

Gordan would be fouled on his layup and made one free throw to give the Nuggets an 81-66 lead. Norman Powell pulled up for a three-pointer, had the Clippers trailing 81-68 with 3:46 left in the quarter.

Wall would make another three-point shot, making the score 85-71. Robert Covington would knock down a three-pointer that made the score 85-74, forcing the Nuggets to call a 30-second time-out. The Nuggets led by ten points, 87-77, at the end of the third quarter.

The Clippers were trailing in the fourth quarter by seven points, 87-80, with two free throws by Covington. Wall would drive to the basket for a layup to cut into Nuggets' 89-82 lead.

Los Angeles Clippers #8 Marcus Morris Sr. shooting a three-point shot over the Denver Nuggets #50 Aaron Gordan. Photo by Jerry Kelly/TGSportstv1.

Denver led by seventeen points, 99-82, after Jokic stole the ball and passed the ball to Murray, who went downcourt to score on a two-handed dunk.

The Clippers were down 103-88 after a layup by Moses Brown. Gordan would score on a put-back basket, giving the Nuggets a 107-88 lead.

Covington would make a three-point shot from the top of the key, and the Clippers were down 112-95 with 3:03 left in the game.

Denver would put the game 114-104 away tip shot by Gordan to improve their record to (12-7, 8-5 Away) and the Clippers (11-9, 6-5 Home).

The Clippers committed fourteen turnovers that led to 22 points for the Nuggets, and Denver had the edge in points in the paint 52-42. The Clippers shot 50.0 percent from the three points arc, 11 of 22 shots, and the Nuggets, 10 of 30 shots for 33.3 percent.