James Harden scored 39 points, along with 11 assists and nine rebounds, to lead the Los Angeles Clippers to a 126-122 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Sunday night in Inglewood, California.
Harden made six 3-pointers and played the entire second half, while Norman Powell, returning from a six-game absence due to a hamstring injury, made five 3-pointers and finished with 28 points in 25 minutes.
Nikola Jokic had a strong performance for Denver, recording 28 points, 14 rebounds, and 11 assists. His eighth triple-double of the season and 138th of his career tied him with Magic Johnson for third on the all-time triple-double list. Jokic now trails only Russell Westbrook and Oscar Robertson.
The Clippers extended their home win streak to eight games, though the victory was slightly marred by an injury to Amir Coffey, who had 13 points before injuring his knee after a collision with teammate Ivica Zubac in the third quarter.
Jamal Murray’s three-pointer with one minute left, followed by a putback from Christian Braun with 19.9 seconds remaining, cut the Clippers’ lead to just two points, 123-121.
Both Zubac and Jokic made one free throw each, before Harden sealed the game with two free throws, finishing 13-for-13 from the line.
Powell came out strong from the start, and Kris Dunn was effective defensively, helping Los Angeles jump to an 11-2 lead. Jokic led Denver’s comeback with 15 points in the first quarter, trimming the Clippers’ lead to 32-23 after the first.
Jordan Miller provided an offensive spark off the bench for the Clippers, scoring eight quick points in the second quarter, but Denver responded with an 11-0 run to take a 46-43 lead with 5:39 left in the half. The game was tied at 59 at halftime.
The Nuggets led 80-70 in the third quarter before Harden and Powell made three 3-pointers each in the final minutes of the period, helping the Clippers regain a 92-90 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
