Clippers overcome Jokic's triple-double to beat Nuggets 111-102 and snap 8-game skid against champs

By BETH HARRIS

LOS ANGELES (AP) Paul George scored 25 points and the Los Angeles Clippers rallied to beat Denver 111-102 on Wednesday night and snap an eight-game skid against the defending NBA champion Nuggets.

Denver won 113-104 last week in Los Angeles as former Clipper Reggie Jackson scored 35 points with Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon all sidelined. That trio of starters was back for the rematch.

Murray scored 23 points. Jokic had a triple-double with 22 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists. Michael Porter Jr. had 18 points and nine rebounds, making 7 of 8 from the floor and hitting four 3-pointers.

It was Denver's first loss to the Clippers since Jan. 11, 2022. The Nuggets fell to 5-8 on the road after blowing a 15-point lead in the opening quarter.

The Clippers led by one when James Harden and Kawhi Leonard combined to score 11 in a row for a 103-97 lead. Ivica Zubac blocked Jokic, whose shooting was off in the fourth.

Harden added 20 points and 11 assists, Leonard had 17 points and Norman Powell had 17 points off the bench as the Clippers got back to .500 at 10-10.

Jokic scored six straight to open the third and Jackson scored four in a row to close it with Denver leading 82-79.

The Clippers outscored the Nuggets 40-21 in the second, led by Powell with 11 points and Harden with nine. After tying the game at 46-all on Kobe Brown's 3-pointer, the Clippers ran off 11 in a row while their improved defense forced Jokic into repeated misses and two turnovers. He was held to four points in the quarter, when the Clippers led 61-57 at halftime.

The Nuggets came out firing, hitting eight 3-pointers in the first including three by Porter. They shot 58% from the floor and led by 15 points.

UP NEXT

Nuggets: Host Houston on Friday night.

Clippers: At Utah on Friday night.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba