The Los Angeles Clippers continued their winning start in the new NBA season with a 121-108 revenge win over postseason tormentor Denver Nuggets on Friday, December 25 (Saturday, December 26, Manila time).
With the win, the Clippers got their first victory over the Nuggets since seizing a 3-1 lead, which they eventually blew, in the best-of-seven Western Conference semifinals series last season.
Paul George built on the momentum brought by his 33-point season debut against the Los Angeles Lakers and dropped a team-high 23 points, 9 assists, and 5 rebounds on an 8-of-14 shooting.
It was a bittersweet ending for the Clippers, however, as All-NBA star Kawhi Leonard went down bloodied late in the 4th quarter after getting inadvertently elbowed by teammate Serge Ibaka at the 6:07 mark.
Leonard expectedly did not return from that gruesome hit as he finished with 21 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds, and 4 steals in 30 minutes.
Although the Clippers built a big 24-point lead, 98-74, late in the 3rd quarter, the Nuggets rehashed their conference semis script and brought the game within 11, 95-106, at the 7:35 mark of the 4th following a Jamal Murray scoring burst.
Los Angeles' outlook then momentarily took a turn for the worse after Leonard's injury.
But fortunately for them, Ibaka and Lou Williams reestablished control with consecutive triples for the 114-100 lead with 4:07 minutes left.
The Clippers then kept their double-digit distance down the stretch as they eventually secured the win.
Nikola Jokic followed up a triple-double debut with 24 points, 10 assists, and 9 rebounds in another losing effort. Murray added 23 markers, 13 coming in the 4th quarter alone.