Nikola Jokic scores 32, Nuggets win 111-108 to keep the Clippers winless with James Harden
DENVER (AP) Nikola Jokic had 32 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists, and the Denver Nuggets beat Los Angeles 111-108 in an NBA In-Season Tournament game on Tuesday night, keeping the Clippers winless since acquiring James Harden last month.
Jokic was perfect on 14 free throw attempts, including two with 13 seconds left that helped the Nuggets hold off the Clippers’ comeback try.
Los Angeles has lost five straight with Harden, who was acquired on Oct. 30, and six in a row overall despite the 34-year-old guard’s best game with his new team since arriving from Philadelphia.
“I kept reiterating, I didn’t have a training camp or a preseason, so kind of learning on the fly,” Harden said. “Also getting myself into James Harden shape. Tonight was definitely another step in the right direction and just keep improving.”
Harden scored 21 points and Paul George tied a season high with 35 points as Los Angeles fell to 0-2 in West Group B play.
“I thought we played great. It’s tough, the adversity of playing against the extra three,” George said of the officiating. “I thought they were awful but, the defending champs, we’ve got to play better.
“So many times I got hit on layups, 3-pointers. It was constant. Jump shots, getting hit, smacked on the forearm. It was a poor job.”
Aaron Gordon scored 20 points and Reggie Jackson 18 for Denver, which has won both of its games in the West B bracket.
The Nuggets were without point guard Jamal Murray for the fourth straight game. He is expected to miss the rest of the month with his strained right hamstring.
Denver appeared to have sealed the game when Jokic fed Gordon for a dunk and a 109-104 lead with 50 seconds left. Jackson missed two free throws with 32 seconds remaining and Kawhi Leonard hit two from the line before coming up with his fifth steal, which led to George’s layup with 15 seconds left.
After Jokic’s free throws, George’s 3-point attempt wedged between the rim and backboard. The Nuggets won the jump ball and held on as time expired.
“Today they played well but we played well enough to get a (win),” Jackson said.
Harden got aggressive at the end of third, going around Jalen Pickett for a layup, hitting two free throws and draining a 3-pointer with 4.7 seconds left in the period to give the Clippers an 84-81 lead. Gordon hit 31-footer at the horn to tie it heading into the fourth.
Los Angeles took a 99-92 lead on Leonard’s fadeaway midway through the fourth.
“They’re still figuring it out. You can see it, they’ve got a lot of talents that overlap,” Jackson said of the Clippers’ four stars. “When you have superstars, superstars can do a lot of things. They gave us a great punch tonight.”
UP NEXT
Clippers: Host the Houston Rockets on Friday night in their third tournament game.
Nuggets: At the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night for their first road game of the tournament.
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Time | Team | Play | Score | |
---|---|---|---|---|
12:00 | Ivica Zubac vs. Nikola Jokic (Aaron Gordon gains possession) | |||
11:44 | Nikola Jokic misses two point turnaround hook shot | |||
11:41 | Russell Westbrook defensive rebound | |||
11:34 | Ivica Zubac misses two point hook shot | |||
11:31 | Nikola Jokic defensive rebound | |||
11:23 | Aaron Gordon misses two point driving layup | |||
11:20 | Paul George defensive rebound | |||
11:15 | +2 | Paul George makes two point floating jump shot | 2-0 | |
10:51 | Michael Porter Jr. turnover (lost ball) (Russell Westbrook steals) | |||
10:49 | Kawhi Leonard turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | |||
10:33 | Reggie Jackson misses two point pullup jump shot | |||
10:31 | Ivica Zubac defensive rebound | |||
10:22 | Ivica Zubac misses two point hook shot | |||
10:18 | Nikola Jokic defensive rebound | |||
10:03 | Nikola Jokic misses two point driving floating jump shot | |||
10:01 | Nikola Jokic offensive rebound | |||
9:59 | Aaron Gordon misses two point turnaround jump shot | |||
9:59 | Nikola Jokic offensive rebound | |||
9:58 | Paul George shooting foul (Nikola Jokic draws the foul) | |||
9:58 | +1 | Nikola Jokic makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 2-1 | |
9:58 | +1 | Nikola Jokic makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 2-2 | |
9:43 | +2 | Paul George makes two point driving layup (Russell Westbrook assists) | 4-2 | |
9:30 | +2 | Reggie Jackson makes two point pullup jump shot (Nikola Jokic assists) | 4-4 | |
9:16 | James Harden turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | |||
9:00 | Nikola Jokic misses three point jump shot | |||
8:56 | Paul George defensive rebound | |||
8:52 | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope shooting foul (Paul George draws the foul) | |||
8:52 | +1 | Paul George makes regular free throw 1 of 3 | 5-4 | |
8:52 | +1 | Paul George makes regular free throw 2 of 3 | 6-4 | |
8:52 | +1 | Paul George makes regular free throw 3 of 3 | 7-4 | |
8:40 | +2 | Reggie Jackson makes two point cutting finger roll layup (Nikola Jokic assists) | 7-6 | |
8:20 | Kawhi Leonard misses two point hook shot | |||
8:16 | Michael Porter Jr. defensive rebound | |||
8:09 | Nikola Jokic turnover (bad pass) (Kawhi Leonard steals) | |||
8:05 | +2 | Russell Westbrook makes two point running layup (Kawhi Leonard assists) | 9-6 | |
7:56 | Ivica Zubac shooting foul (Nikola Jokic draws the foul) | |||
7:56 | +1 | Nikola Jokic makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 9-7 | |
7:56 | +1 | Nikola Jokic makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 9-8 | |
7:47 | Russell Westbrook misses two point driving layup | |||
7:44 | Ivica Zubac offensive rebound | |||
7:43 | +3 | James Harden makes three point jump shot (Ivica Zubac assists) | 12-8 | |
7:27 | +3 | Nikola Jokic makes three point jump shot (Reggie Jackson assists) | 12-11 | |
7:25 | Clippers 60 second timeout | |||
7:03 | James Harden misses three point jump shot | |||
6:59 | Nikola Jokic defensive rebound | |||
6:47 | Nikola Jokic misses three point jump shot | |||
6:43 | Paul George defensive rebound | |||
6:31 | +2 | Kawhi Leonard makes two point cutting layup (Ivica Zubac assists) | 14-11 | |
6:15 | +2 | Nikola Jokic makes two point jump shot (Kentavious Caldwell-Pope assists) | 14-13 | |
6:01 | +2 | Paul George makes two point driving layup | 16-13 | |
5:42 | Ivica Zubac blocks Nikola Jokic's two point driving layup | |||
5:40 | Paul George defensive rebound | |||
5:34 | Paul George misses two point running layup | |||
5:34 | Aaron Gordon defensive rebound | |||
5:28 | +2 | Jalen Pickett makes two point running layup (Aaron Gordon assists) | 16-15 | |
5:15 | Kawhi Leonard turnover (bad pass) (Nikola Jokic steals) | |||
5:08 | Nikola Jokic misses two point hook shot | |||
5:05 | Ivica Zubac defensive rebound | |||
4:52 | +2 | James Harden makes two point driving layup | 18-15 | |
4:36 | +2 | Aaron Gordon makes two point dunk (Nikola Jokic assists) | 18-17 | |
4:18 | +3 | Paul George makes three point jump shot (James Harden assists) | 21-17 | |
4:04 | Norman Powell shooting foul (Aaron Gordon draws the foul) | |||
4:04 | +1 | Aaron Gordon makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 21-18 | |
4:04 | +1 | Aaron Gordon makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 21-19 | |
3:49 | Norman Powell misses two point floating jump shot | |||
3:47 | Christian Braun defensive rebound | |||
3:34 | +2 | Peyton Watson makes two point driving layup (Nikola Jokic assists) | 21-21 | |
3:20 | +2 | James Harden makes two point pullup jump shot | 23-21 | |
3:06 | +2 | Nikola Jokic makes two point layup (Aaron Gordon assists) | 23-23 | |
2:39 | James Harden misses three point jump shot | |||
2:36 | Nikola Jokic defensive rebound | |||
2:30 | +2 | Aaron Gordon makes two point driving layup (Jalen Pickett assists) | 23-25 | |
2:10 | Terance Mann turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | |||
2:10 | Nuggets 60 second timeout | |||
1:47 | Aaron Gordon misses two point fadeaway jump shot | |||
1:43 | Terance Mann defensive rebound | |||
1:24 | +2 | James Harden makes two point driving layup | 25-25 | |
1:00 | Aaron Gordon misses three point jump shot | |||
0:58 | James Harden defensive rebound | |||
0:49 | James Harden misses three point pullup jump shot | |||
0:45 | P.J. Tucker offensive rebound | |||
0:44 | Norman Powell misses three point jump shot | |||
0:44 | Terance Mann offensive rebound | |||
0:34 | James Harden misses three point pullup jump shot | |||
0:30 | Aaron Gordon defensive rebound | |||
0:17 | +3 | Jalen Pickett makes three point stepback jump shot | 25-28 | |
0:04 | Christian Braun personal foul (James Harden draws the foul) | |||
0:01 | Peyton Watson shooting foul (Norman Powell draws the foul) | |||
0:01 | +1 | Norman Powell makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 26-28 | |
0:01 | Norman Powell misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | |||
0:01 | Terance Mann offensive rebound | |||
0:00 | Terance Mann misses two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | |||
0:00 | Clippers offensive rebound | |||
0:00 | End of period |
Time | Team | Play | Score | |
---|---|---|---|---|
11:43 | Ivica Zubac misses two point layup | |||
11:39 | Reggie Jackson defensive rebound | |||
11:36 | +2 | Christian Braun makes two point running layup | 26-30 | |
11:17 | +2 | Paul George makes two point pullup jump shot | 28-30 | |
10:59 | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope turnover (bad pass) (Paul George steals) | |||
10:54 | Russell Westbrook misses two point running layup | |||
10:52 | Terance Mann offensive rebound | |||
10:51 | +2 | Russell Westbrook makes two point jump shot (Terance Mann assists) | 30-30 | |
10:38 | +2 | Reggie Jackson makes two point floating jump shot | 30-32 | |
10:24 | Christian Braun shooting foul (Ivica Zubac draws the foul) | |||
10:24 | Ivica Zubac misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | |||
10:24 | Clippers offensive rebound | |||
10:24 | +1 | Ivica Zubac makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 31-32 | |
10:03 | Norman Powell personal foul (Christian Braun draws the foul) | |||
9:53 | Reggie Jackson misses two point driving layup | |||
9:51 | Zeke Nnaji offensive rebound | |||
9:49 | +2 | Zeke Nnaji makes two point putback layup | 31-34 | |
9:36 | +3 | Paul George makes three point stepback jump shot | 34-34 | |
9:18 | Zeke Nnaji misses two point cutting layup | |||
9:15 | Terance Mann defensive rebound | |||
9:08 | Paul George misses two point driving layup | |||
9:06 | Reggie Jackson defensive rebound | |||
9:03 | +2 | Christian Braun makes two point running dunk (Reggie Jackson assists) | 34-36 | |
8:42 | Reggie Jackson blocks Ivica Zubac's two point layup | |||
8:42 | Russell Westbrook offensive rebound | |||
8:40 | Reggie Jackson shooting foul (Ivica Zubac draws the foul) | |||
8:40 | +1 | Ivica Zubac makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 35-36 | |
8:40 | +1 | Ivica Zubac makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 36-36 | |
8:23 | Norman Powell shooting foul (Reggie Jackson draws the foul) | |||
8:23 | +1 | Reggie Jackson makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 36-37 | |
8:23 | +1 | Reggie Jackson makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 36-38 | |
8:09 | Russell Westbrook misses two point driving layup | |||
8:07 | Zeke Nnaji defensive rebound | |||
7:57 | +3 | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope makes three point jump shot (Reggie Jackson assists) | 36-41 | |
7:40 | Russell Westbrook turnover (traveling) | |||
7:33 | Terance Mann personal foul (Reggie Jackson draws the foul) | |||
7:23 | Nikola Jokic misses two point jump shot | |||
7:19 | Russell Westbrook defensive rebound | |||
7:12 | Russell Westbrook turnover (bad pass) (Jalen Pickett steals) | |||
7:04 | Nikola Jokic misses three point jump shot | |||
6:59 | Ivica Zubac defensive rebound | |||
6:58 | +3 | Kawhi Leonard makes three point jump shot (Paul George assists) | 39-41 | |
6:39 | Nikola Jokic turnover (lost ball) (Kawhi Leonard steals) | |||
6:32 | Russell Westbrook misses two point running jump shot | |||
6:29 | Ivica Zubac offensive rebound | |||
6:18 | Paul George misses three point stepback jump shot | |||
6:14 | Jalen Pickett defensive rebound | |||
6:11 | +3 | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope makes three point jump shot (Jalen Pickett assists) | 39-44 | |
6:10 | Clippers 60 second timeout | |||
5:53 | Kawhi Leonard turnover (bad pass) (Michael Porter Jr. steals) | |||
5:51 | James Harden personal foul (Aaron Gordon draws the foul) | |||
5:36 | Michael Porter Jr. misses three point jump shot | |||
5:29 | P.J. Tucker defensive rebound | |||
5:24 | Jalen Pickett personal foul (Kawhi Leonard draws the foul) | |||
5:14 | Nikola Jokic shooting foul (James Harden draws the foul) | |||
5:14 | +1 | James Harden makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 40-44 | |
5:14 | +1 | James Harden makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 41-44 | |
4:58 | +3 | Nikola Jokic makes three point jump shot (Aaron Gordon assists) | 41-47 | |
4:36 | Kawhi Leonard misses two point fadeaway jump shot | |||
4:34 | Michael Porter Jr. defensive rebound | |||
4:30 | Michael Porter Jr. misses three point running pullup jump shot | |||
4:30 | Nuggets offensive rebound | |||
4:18 | Reggie Jackson misses three point pullup jump shot | |||
4:15 | Ivica Zubac defensive rebound | |||
3:59 | Kawhi Leonard misses two point fadeaway jump shot | |||
3:56 | Nikola Jokic defensive rebound | |||
3:48 | +2 |