The Nuggets have experience beating the Clippers without Nikola Jokic.
They pulled it off in Los Angeles last season, led by Reggie Jackson’s stirring 35-point, 13-assist performance. Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon were also absent from that game, which was memorable enough for coach Michael Malone to reminisce on Wednesday night before opening tip.
“Fly Reggie Jackson back in,” Malone said when asked about Denver’s priorities. Jokic was out sick for the second consecutive night.
Finishing a back-to-back after an admirable fight against the defending champion Celtics, the Nuggets sent Jokic a get-well-soon card through the television. They dismantled the Clippers with team basketball, riding six double-digit scoring efforts to a 126-103 win at Ball Arena.
“Our starters set the tone. The guys on the bench came in ready to play,” Malone said. “And as a micro-goal in this league, you never want to lose two in a row. You really want to make sure you don’t have extended losing streaks. And that was a big game.”
Murray played one of his most complete games of the season, shooting 4-for-6 from the 3-point line while amassing 21 points, nine assists, a steal and a block. Michael Porter Jr. stayed hot with 19 efficient points and eight rebounds. Russell Westbrook scored 11 of his 19 in the third quarter, when he broke out a rock-the-baby celebration for the fans after an and-one against former teammate Norman Powell.
Even DeAndre Jordan, who has been Malone’s most serviceable backup center, turned in an outstanding performance. He was an integral part of the Jokic-less win last season, and he went for 12 points and nine rebounds this time. Malone went to him in the starting lineup after Dario Saric on Tuesday. (Saric, after one impressive two-way sequence against the Clippers, earned a huge high-five from Malone on his way to the huddle.)
The Nuggets (21-15) remain averse to rest. They are now 8-0 on the second night of back-to-backs but 3-6 after two or more days without a game.
After one of those losses to Boston, Malone lauded his short-handed team’s heart but noted the lack of any margin for error when Jokic isn’t playing, especially against good teams. The Clippers may not be as good as the Celtics, but they have out-performed expectations in the first half of the season without Kawhi Leonard, who was healthy Wednesday but away from the team to be with his family amid wildfires in the Los Angeles area.
They entered Ball Arena with a 20-16 record, half a game back from fourth-place Denver. Now, by taking care of business, the Nuggets have successfully answered a mini-lifeline sent to them by the NBA last month. Los Angeles led the season series 2-0 with only one matchup remaining, only for the league to schedule a fourth regular-season game between the two teams after they were both eliminated from the NBA Cup.
The Clippers had a hypothetical tiebreaker clinched. The NBA un-clinched it. Now the series is 2-2, and if neither team wins its division, a potential tiebreaker will come down to the best record against Western Conference opponents.
“There’s no moral victories. I love how hard we played (against Boston), but it’s still a loss,” Malone said. “End of the season, that’s all anybody’s gonna see. We lost to Boston at home. … I reminded our players before we came out (tonight), we’re 20-15. They’re 20-16. We’re down 1-2 against them head-to-head. This game has a lot of impact. So you lose one game in this situation, you go from fourth to seventh place. And our guys understood that, and we found a way.”
Denver’s first half was comprehensive. Even with no Jokic and no Gordon (calf), the paint was no problem. The Nuggets led 26-10 in the lane by halftime. They led 18-7 in transition, 11-0 on second chances and 30-18 from the 3-point line (thanks to a 10-for-13 start). They led the rebounding battle, 29-20. Julian Strawther took heat-check 3s off the bench. Westbrook tipped in a Jordan missed free throws for a four-point possession. Porter buried shots with hands in his face. Murray hunted 3s off the dribble, not just midrange shots, and he almost flashed his old “Blue Arrow” celebration after one pull-up.
“I just don’t remember the last time I made two 3s in a row,” he said. “It felt good to come down and just pull it. Like I said, I’ve been frustrated, just missing some good looks, and it felt food to hit a couple like that.”
Powell led the Clippers with 30 points, but James Harden was held to 16 points on 15 shots.
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