The Clippers visited the Nuggets for a game, with neither Kawhi Leonard nor Nikola Jokic playing. The Clippers' starting lineup was Harden, Dunn, Powell, Jones, and Zubac, while the Nuggets started with Murray, Westbrook, Braun, Porter, and Jordan.
In the first quarter, Murray scored a 2+1, followed by Powell's three-pointer, and then Braun's three-pointer. Both teams exchanged leads as the score kept rising. After Harden assisted Batum's three-pointer, Murray made a mid-range shot, leading to a timeout at 12-10. Returning to the game, Porter scored five points to extend the lead, Powell hit a three-pointer to stop the bleeding, and Jordan made a 2+1 under the basket. Westbrook made a putback, and Porter followed with another three-pointer, leading to a 14-3 run that forced the Clippers to call a timeout. However, after the timeout, the Clippers' offense remained ineffective, and Westbrook's three-pointer increased the lead to 15 points. Harden and Porter each made a three-pointer to try to close the gap, but the Nuggets continued to score, ending the first quarter with the Clippers trailing 19-33, a 14-point deficit.
In the second quarter, during the rotation phase, Porter continued to score, but the Nuggets were raining threes from outside. After Murray made his own three-pointer, he assisted Saric with another three-pointer, and then made another three-pointer himself, directly widening the gap and forcing the Clippers to call a timeout. Returning to the game, the Nuggets maintained their offensive momentum, leading by as many as 25 points. It seemed like the game was about to be over. After Harden returned, he made mid-range shots and free throws to stop the bleeding, assisted Powell to score, and Zubac made two free throws, leading to a 10-0 run for the Clippers. However, the Nuggets responded with both inside and outside scoring, with Harden making a 2+1 and a three-pointer to keep the Clippers afloat. Westbrook was fouled on a counterattack, and the half ended with the Clippers trailing 50-66, a 16-point deficit.
In the third quarter, Porter made a three-pointer right away, and Harden continued to pass to his teammates, but they couldn't hold onto the ball and made mistakes. Fortunately, Zubac and Powell could score, and Westbrook assisted Jordan with an alley-oop dunk. Murray made a beautiful pass to Porter for a dunk, and the Nuggets held onto their lead. The Clippers could only score through free throws, and after Zubac's interference, the Nuggets led 81-59, a 22-point advantage, prompting Coach Lue to call a timeout. However, the timeout didn't help much, as Porter and Westbrook teamed up to completely blow out the game, forcing the Clippers to call another timeout. They then played for a while before substituting their main players, and Coach Lue surrendered early. The third quarter ended with the Nuggets leading 98-77, a 21-point advantage.
The fourth quarter became garbage time, with the Clippers' bench cleaning up the court. In the end, the Nuggets won at home 126-103, let's take a look at the specific performances of the players!
Harden, who was left to lead the team alone due to Leonard's absence because of the wildfires in Southern California, struggled in the second half. In the first half, he carried the team with 15 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 block, but the team trailed by 16 points. In the second half, he seemed disinterested and scored no points in the third quarter, effectively clocking out early. He finished the game with 16 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists in just 27 minutes.
Powell was the best player for the Clippers besides Harden, scoring 14 points in the first half with 10 attempts, 4 successful threes, and 4 successful free throws. In the third quarter, even as Harden faltered, Powell single-handedly carried the Clippers' offense, scoring 16 points, but the gap widened, turning the game into garbage time early. He played 28 minutes, shooting 8 for 17, making 4 threes, and 10 of 13 free throws, finishing with 30 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 assist.
Westbrook, who was not playing alongside Jokic, started with great enthusiasm and outperformed Harden in their matchup. In the first half, he shot 3 for 9, made 1 of 4 threes, and 1 of 2 free throws, scoring 8 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists with a +9 plus-minus. In the third quarter, he went on a scoring spree, assisting his teammates frequently, and after a wave of scoring, he ignited the crowd. He scored 11 points, 1 rebound, and 3 assists in that quarter. In total, he played 29 minutes, shooting 8 for 16, making 1 of 5 threes, and 2 of 5 free throws, finishing with 19 points, 6 rebounds, and 8 assists.
Murray and Porter, the Nuggets' dynamic duo, also had a breakout game against the Clippers. Porter started strong in the first quarter, and in the early second quarter, Murray led a scoring surge to widen the gap. In the first half, Porter shot 5 for 8, made 2 threes, and scored 12 points with 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal; while Murray shot 5 for 9, made 2 threes, and 1 of 1 free throws, scoring 13 points with 1 rebound, 4 assists, and 1 steal. In the third quarter, Porter scored another 7 points, and Murray didn't need to exert himself as the game was already blown out. In total, Porter played 27 minutes, shooting 8 for 12, made 3 threes, and finished with 19 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 assists; while Murray played 34 minutes, shooting 7 for 13, made 4 threes, and 3 of 3 free throws, contributing 21 points, 3 rebounds, and 9 assists.