Nuggets at Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers are excelling at both ends of the floor during a three-game winning streak and are enjoying their longest stretch of consistent high-level play. The Denver Nuggets, who visit the Clippers on Saturday, are looking forward to the road after stumbling at home. The Nuggets led the NBA with a 38-3 home record last season but matched that number of losses in just one four-game homestand when they squandered a big lead on Friday.
Los Angeles began the season as one of the highest-scoring teams in the league but is just getting around to consistently playing the kind of defense that brought coach Doc Rivers success in Boston. “We’ve leaned on our defense at times when we’ve needed it,” Blake Griffin told the team’s website of the current winning streak. “We’ve allowed our defense to get us into offense and get it going.” Denver could use a break from tough defenses after averaging 92.4 points in the last five games.
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, NBATV, Altitude (Denver), Prime Ticket (Los Angeles)
ABOUT THE NUGGETS (14-11): Denver held a 21-point lead in the second quarter on Friday only to end up with a 103-99 loss to the Phoenix Suns. Ty Lawson shot 35.1 percent on the homestand but still has an optimistic view of the team. “It starts in practice,” Lawson said. “We have to go back to the drawing board - get our defense back tight, get our offense together and I think we’re stilling going to be good. … It’s a long season and I’m looking forward to the future.”
ABOUT THE CLIPPERS (18-9): Los Angeles has won its last three games by an average of 18 points and the players are beginning to gain more confidence. “I think we are learning,” forward Jared Dudley said. “You can tell it’s been a couple of months that we have been playing. Chemistry (has) been up and down but I think the groove defensively has been a lot better.” The anchor of that defense is center DeAndre Jordan, who went for 14 points, 20 rebounds and five blocks in Wednesday’s 108-95 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Denver took two out of three in the series last season but dropped its lone trip to Los Angeles.
2. Clippers F Matt Barnes (eye) is expected to play Saturday after sitting out the previous 16 games.
3. Nuggets F Jordan Hamilton is eligible to return on Saturday after serving a one-game suspension for punching Oklahoma City C Steven Adams.