Paul George scored 27 points and Kawhi Leonard added 26, and the Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Denver Nuggets 124-111 on Wednesday night near Orlando.
Aug 12, 2020; Lake Buena Vista, Florida, USA; LA Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard before a NBA basketball game against the Denver Nuggets at AdventHealth Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Lou Williams had 23 points and seven assists off the bench for the Clippers (48-23), who clinched the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. They will meet the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the NBA playoffs, starting next week.
The Nuggets (46-26) will be the conference’s No. 3 seed.
Ivica Zubac had 15 points on 7-of-9 shooting and grabbed 12 rebounds for the Clippers.
Reserve forward Jerami Grant scored 25 points and pulled down six rebounds for Denver. Nikola Jokic finished with 17 points, 13 assists and seven rebounds while Michael Porter Jr. chipped in 11 points. Jamal Murray was held to 10 points, and Torrey Craig also had 10.
The Clippers took control in the fourth quarter. An 11-4 surge gave them a 111-101 lead after a three-point play by George with 4:46 left. Denver got no closer than eight the rest of the way. Los Angeles outscored Denver 34-19 in the fourth quarter.
A 20-5 run to open the third allowed the Clippers to seize a 70-63 advantage after a basket by Marcus Morris Sr. with 6:54 left in the quarter. But the Nuggets rallied, knotting the score at 82 after a 3-pointer by Grant with 2:43 left in the quarter.
Grant’s slam to end the third put Denver up 92-90. He scored 15 points in the third.
The Nuggets led 58-50 at the break, outscoring the Clippers 33-24 in the second quarter. Jokic scored 15 of his points in the first half. The Nuggets converted 48.9 percent of their shots compared to 44.2 percent for the Clippers before halftime.
For the game, the Clippers made 54.1 percent of their shots to 49.4 percent for the Nuggets. Los Angeles committed only eight turnovers to 12 for Denver.
Clippers guard Patrick Beverley (calf) missed his fourth game in a row.
—Field Level Media
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