Clippers 105, Nuggets 90
LOS ANGELES -- DeAndre Jordan had 16 points, 16 rebounds and five blocks in three quarters, and the Los Angeles Clippers used a solid second half to beat the Denver Nuggets 105-90 Sunday at Staples Center.
Jordan, who leads the NBA in field-goal percentage, connected on seven of 10 shots from the floor as the Clippers (45-27) recorded only their second win in the last five games. Chris Paul scored 14 points, dished out nine assists and grabbed six rebounds for Los Angeles, which had six players score in double figures. Jamal Crawford added 14 points, Jeff Green and Wesley Johnson chipped in 13 points each, and J.J. Redick had 12 points.
Jusuf Nurkic led the Nuggets (31-43) with 19 points. D.J. Augustin had 18 points and 10 assists, while Will Barton finished with 13 points for Denver. Gary Harris scored 11.
The Clippers opened the third quarter with a 13-4 run to stretch their four-point halftime lead to 67-54 after a jumper by Johnson with 5:50 left in the quarter. The Clippers took a 77-60 advantage into the final quarter. The Nuggets never threatened again.
Los Angeles outscored Denver 25-12 in the third. Jordan had eight of his points in the period, making all four of his field goal attempts. Jordan also blocked four shots in the third.
Denver trailed by as much as 14 in the first half before cutting the deficit to 52-48 at the half. The Nuggets got a lift Augustin, who came off the bench to score 16 points before the break on 5-of-8 shooting, making three of four 3-pointers. However, the Nuggets managed to shoot only 39.1 percent to 43.5 percent for the Clippers in the first half.
Overall, the Clippers shot 47.5 percent to 39.4 for the Nuggets. They also converted 10 of 28 (35.7 percent) 3-pointers to seven of 29 for Denver.
Los Angeles also held the edge in fast-break points 25-8.
NOTES: Clippers coach Doc Rivers doesn't anticipate anything to prevent the return of injured F Blake Griffin (partially torn left quad tendon/right hand fracture) on April 3, when the Clippers host the Washington Wizards. Griffin, who began a four-game suspension Sunday for punching a team equipment manager, practiced Saturday. ... With the exception of conditioning being an issue, Rivers was pleased with Griffin's progress. Griffin hasn't played since the Clippers defeated the Los Angeles Lakers on Christmas Day. "The way he looked, I can't imagine any setbacks because it's going to be basically non-contact (workouts) except basically the day before the game," Rivers said. ... Both clubs resume play Monday at their home arenas. Denver faces the Dallas Mavericks, while Los Angeles meets the Boston Celtics.