Nuggets-Clippers Preview

By TAYLOR BECHTOLD
Posted Dec 24 2012 3:12PM

Playing at an unprecedented level, the Los Angeles Clippers keep taking the franchise further into uncharted territory.

The Denver Nuggets, however, would like to end their historic run while continuing their own recent surge.

The Clippers hope to celebrate a 14th consecutive win on Christmas Day when they host the Nuggets, who have won four of their last five contests.

Los Angeles (21-6) extended its franchise-record run and snapped a 10-game losing streak in Phoenix with a 103-77 rout Sunday. The Clippers have won by an average of 15.7 points during their streak, also setting a club record with six straight road wins.

"We're just taking care of business right now," forward Blake Griffin said. "To be honest, we're not really concerned with 'You haven't won here since then' or 'You haven't won this many games in a row.'"

Griffin has been one of the major catalysts, averaging 20.7 points while shooting 59.4 percent from the field in his last 11 games. He finished with 23 points on 8-of-12 shooting against the Suns, adding 11 rebounds and four steals.

Chris Paul had 17 points and 13 assists for his fifth double-double in six games. The All-Star point guard is 7 of 11 from 3-point range while grabbing 10 steals in his last two contests.

Paul averaged 24.3 points on 54.0 percent shooting - including 9 of 18 from beyond the arc - as the Clippers took three of four from the Nuggets last season.

"We know what they have in Chris Paul and how he makes all of the other players around him better," Denver forward Danilo Gallinari told his team's official website. "It will be a good challenge for us and we'll be ready for them."

Gallinari, the team's leader with 15.6 points per game, scored 12 in just 22 minutes Saturday night as the Nuggets rolled past Charlotte, 110-88.

Kosta Koufos, Kenneth Faried, Andre Iguodala and JaVale McGee combined for 60 points and shot 27 of 37 from the floor. The Nuggets, who lead the NBA in points in the paint per game (55.6), have put up the league's two highest single-game totals in that category this season in their last two games with 74 and 78.

They've averaged 109.3 points overall in their last four despite shooting just 26.6 percent from 3-point range.

"The pace has been getting better for us," coach George Karl said. "There seems to be a little more wear and tear on the other team as the game goes on. ... We want to keep it going."

It isn't likely to come easily against the Clippers, who have allowed the NBA's second-fewest points in the paint per game (36.7). Los Angeles has also matched a franchise record by holding eight straight opponents below 43.0 percent shooting.

The Clippers have buried opponents with their impressive depth, led by Sixth Man of the Year candidate Jamal Crawford, Matt Barnes and Eric Bledsoe.

Crawford, who had 22 points Sunday, leads the NBA in points per game off the bench with 16.3. The Clippers boast the league's highest-scoring reserves at 41.9 points per game.

The Nuggets (15-13) are expected to have guard Ty Lawson back after the team's second-leading scorer and top assist man left Saturday's game with a left Achilles strain.

Denver has lost four of five to the Clippers at Staples Center and is 0-3 all-time on the road on Christmas Day.

Clippers beat Nuggets 112-100 for 14th win in row

By BETH HARRIS
Posted Dec 26 2012 2:22AM

LOS ANGELES (AP) The Los Angeles Clippers didn't finish their 14th consecutive victory well. They were good enough through the first three quarters that it didn't matter.

Jamal Crawford led a dominant performance by the Los Angeles reserves with 22 points in a 112-100 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday night, extending the team's franchise-record winning streak while claiming the best record in the NBA at 22-6.

"It's about getting better and better," Crawford said. "We're trying to stay locked in and focused."

Matt Barnes added 20 points - one off his season high - as the bench outscored the Clippers' starters 64-48 in moving one win ahead of second-best Oklahoma City (21-6), which lost to Miami earlier Tuesday.

"This is fool's gold," cautioned Chris Paul, who led the starters with 14 points. "You don't play for the regular season. Obviously, you want to build something."

Kosta Koufos and Jordan Hamilton scored 16 points each for Denver in the finale of a Christmas doubleheader at Staples Center. The Lakers, who will play the Nuggets on Wednesday night in Denver, beat the Knicks 100-94 in the first game.

"They're a very good running team and they're very athletic, so we wanted to just play within ourselves and play smart throughout the game," Koufos said. "I thought we established ourselves early on. We were getting some good looks, but at the same time, shots weren't going in."

Ty Lawson added 15 points for the Nuggets, who fell to 7-13 on the road, where 22 of their first 32 games are being played.

"They've got the respect of the league and they've got the attention of the league," said former Clipper Andre Miller, who had 12 points. "It's tough to come in here and get a win when the team is playing that well."

Crawford's 3-pointer to open the fourth quarter pushed the Clippers' lead to 20 points and kept the starters on the bench for the final 12 minutes. Coming into the game, their average margin of victory during the streak had been 13 points and they exceeded that when the Nuggets failed to make it close in the fourth.

Crawford scored eight points in the quarter. He leads NBA reserves in scoring and topped 20 points for the 12th time this season.

But none of the Clippers were happy about the sloppy final period, when they were outscored 24-19 and the Nuggets shot 61 percent.

"It looked like a layup drill for them," Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro said about Denver scoring 10 straight points. "I'm big into making sure we play the right way. It's always about the big picture and us getting better."

Blake Griffin added 13 points and Willie Green had 11 among the other leading Los Angeles starters.

Denver rallied after halftime, using a 15-6 spurt to close to 73-63, capped by Andre Iguodala's free throw after Paul received a technical foul.

The Clippers answered with three consecutive 3-pointers, including two by Green from opposite corners, for an 84-67 lead. The Nuggets ran off seven in a row to get within 10 before the Clippers regrouped with a 9-2 run, capped by Paul's 3-pointer, that kept them ahead 93-76 heading into the fourth.

"They have a confidence right now that's pretty powerful," Nuggets coach George Karl said.

The Clippers stretched their lead to 67-48 at halftime with 42 points in the second, their highest-scoring quarter this season. The bench got things going with a 14-10 run before Paul replaced a wild Eric Bledsoe. His presence settled down the second unit until Griffin and DeAndre Jordan eventually came back in during a 28-10 run the rest of the period that produced the Clippers' first double-digit lead. Driving dunks by Barnes and Griffin, alley-oop dunks by Griffin and Jordan, and consecutive 3-pointers by Barnes and Paul highlighted the scoring binge.

"When we are at our best our starters have a great first quarter and our bench elevates that," Griffin said.

Hamilton banked in a jumper at the buzzer to give the Nuggets a 26-25 lead after a back-and-forth opening quarter. There were nine lead changes and eight ties, with neither team leading by more than three points.

NOTES: The Clippers improved to 13-3 at home, where they haven't lost there since Nov. 26 against New Orleans. ... Denver fell to 3-3 in the first game of a back-to-back set. ... Los Angeles wore all-red uniforms, while the Nuggets were in navy. ... Paul flew in 30 family members from North Carolina to enjoy the holiday. ... It was Paul's idea to have his teammates wear ugly Christmas sweaters to the arena, and his mother procured them. "It shows we're a tight-knit group," Crawford said. Some of the Clippers declared F Matt Barnes the unofficial winner. His green-and-cream cardigan had tinsel, bows and ornaments hanging from it. ... Kanye West was part of a contingent of Kardashians in the house, including Kim and Khloe.

Notebook: Clippers 112, Nuggets 100

Dan Arritt, For NBA.com
Posted Wed Dec 26, 2012 2:18 AM - Updated Wed Dec 26, 2012 2:18 AM

THE FACTS: The reserves didn't wait until the fourth quarter to put this game away. Matt Barnes, Jamal Crawford, Lamar Odom and Ronny Turiaf came off the bench in the second quarter of the late Christmas Day game and immediately turned up the heat on the Nuggets. They each played key roles in the season-best 42-point outburst, which turned a one-point deficit at the start of the quarter into a 19-point halftime lead. That proved too wide a gap for Denver to overcome and the Clippers were able to cruise to a 112-100 victory at Staples Center.

THE STAT: The Clippers (22-6) extended their franchise-best winning streak to 14 games, beating 10 of those opponents by 12 points or more. Coupled with the Thunder's loss earlier in the day against Miami, L.A. now owns the best record in the NBA.

QUOTABLE: "It's nice, but it's Christmas and we have a long way to ... a lot of games to play and a lot of improving to do."

-- Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro

TURNING POINT: After eight ties and nine lead changes in the opening quarter, the Clippers took the lead for good, 30-29, on a 3-pointer by Barnes with 10:33 remaining in the first half. The Nuggets stayed within a basket until Odom, Chris Paul and Crawford combined for six consecutive points to push the lead to 45-36. That was just the beginning, as the bench combined for 28 of the 42 points in the quarter to eventually extend the lead to 67-48 at the half.

HOT: Crawford finished with a team-high 22 points, the 12th time this season he has scored 20 or more off the bench. Next on the list is Ramon Sessions of the Bobcats with seven. Barnes contributed 20 points, the eighth consecutive game he has scored in double figures. The Clippers are 16-0 this season when Barnes scores in double digits off the bench. Denver (15-14) center Kosta Koufos scored 16 points for the second consecutive game, making all eight of his field-goal attempts. Only one other time in his five-year career has the 7-footer scored in double digits in back-to-back games.

QUOTABLE II: "We had good bench production tonight, especially in that second quarter, and at the end of the third a little bit to withstand their run. Just a good, overall team effort."

--Vinny Del Negro.

NOT: Denver forward Danilo Gallinari shot 1-for-10 from the floor for the second time in the last three games and finished with seven points.

GOOD MOVE: Clippers guard Eric Bledsoe was part of the reserve group that finished off a couple games during the early part of the current winning streak. He came out for the second quarter with the rest of the bench players but played erratically, committing three turnovers in the first 4 1/2 minutes. Del Negro didn't show much patience, taking Bledsoe out of the game and inserting Paul. The Clippers followed with the 6-0 run that pushed the lead to nine and Denver never got any closer than seven the rest of the way. With the game in hand, Bledsoe returned to the court in the fourth quarter and played more effectively.

BAD MOVE: Denver reserve forward Corey Brewer probably should have gotten a similar quick hook from coach George Karl. In the 21 minutes Brewer was on the floor, the Nuggets were outscored by 29 points. Brewer missed all three of his field-goal attempts and grabbed just two rebounds, the same number back-up point guard Andre Miller secured while playing three additional minutes.

NOTABLE: The Clippers previous season high for points in a quarter was 35. The Clippers scored on 20 of 27 possessions in the second quarter, including the last 11. ... Odom had six points and eight rebounds in his first 12 minutes on the floor before finishing with six points and 10 rebounds in 31 minutes. ... Denver shot 50 percent from the floor, ending a streak of eight straight L.A. opponents that shot 43 percent or lower.

UP NEXT: For the Clippers, Thursday vs. Boston, Friday @ Utah, Sunday vs. Utah. For the Nuggets, Wednesday vs. Lakers, Friday @ Dallas, Saturday @ Memphis.

• Nuggets: Chandler, Stone
• Clippers: Billups, Hill, Thompkins

• Nuggets: --
• Clippers: Paul

• Lead Changes: 10
• Times Tied: 8

• Arena: Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
• Officials: #55 Bill Kennedy, #61 Courtney Kirkland, #12 Violet Palmer
• Attendance: 19346
• Duration: 2:25