New-look Nuggets make bold statement in wire-to-wire win over Clippers

The Nuggets came into Thursday’s nationally televised tilt with the Clippers as if they were fired from a cannon, scoring 31 points in each of the first two quarters on their way to a wire-to-wire victory over one of the league’s few, true championship contenders.

“We set the tone and were able to sustain that,” Jamal Murray said. “We were in control and — especially on the road — that’s a big deal.”

Not that it didn’t get close. The Clippers closed to within one point in the fourth quarter, but perhaps that kind of adversity is exactly the kind of fire this team needs to be forged in.

Murray scored eight points in the final frame, pulling the Nuggets away for good in a game in which Nikola Jokic wasn’t up to his usual standards, not that the newly named Western Conference Player of the Month for March doesn’t deserve to have a clunker every now and again.

Murray was more than ready to pick up the slack.

“I’ve been doing it for 23 years, man,” he said after the game. “I practice those shots. I live for those shots. I want those shots.”

The unselfish Nuggets once again shared the ball evenly, baffling the Clippers early and often on their way to 28 assists, and solid defense led by newcomer Aaron Gordon set the tone. The Nuggets are now 3-0 since adding Gordon at the trade deadline.

“I tell him all the time he was the difference-maker, man,” Will Barton said. “I think he put us over the hump.”

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NEXT UP: Nuggets (30-18) vs. Magic (17-31) | Sunday, Apr. 4 at 8:00 p.m. | TV: NBATV

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TEAM NOTES

• The Nuggets’ defense has been transformed with the addition of Aaron Gordon. The Clippers came into Thursday’s game with the NBA’s second-highest scoring average at 117.1 and were held to 94 points on only 41.2 percent shooting. Three-point defense had been an issue for the Nuggets all season long, but in Thursday’s win, the Nuggets limited the Clippers to only 29.4 percent from range. The Clippers came into the game as the league’s most efficient three-point shooting team, averaging 41.7 percent.

• All five of the Nuggets’ starters scored at least 14 points on the night as the new starting five of Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon and Will Barton have caught fire; in only 64 combined minutes on the floor together since Gordon’s arrival, the quintet has outscored their opponents by a nearly unfathomable 48 points.

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PLAYER NOTES

• Aaron Gordon’s defense on Kawhi Leonard was excellent on Thursday, holding the former Finals MVP to 24 points — which doesn’t sound all that successful, but it took Leonard 22 shots to get there. Gordon’s high-energy defense is undeniable, and it’s already rubbing off on his teammates. Gordon scored 14 points to go along with six rebounds, six assists, three steals and two blocks.

• Michael Porter Jr. was equally hard on Paul George, limiting him to 17 points on an awful, 5-for-15 shooting night. Porter’s rapid improvement as a defender — he also had two blocks on Thursday — hasn’t gone unnoticed by head coach Michael Malone. “He’s grown up. Michael cares,” Malone said. Porter also continued his efficient scoring, going 7-for-11 from to field to score 20 points on the night.

• Nikola Jokic was named the Western Conference player of the month in March, when he averaged 27.1 points, 11.4 rebounds, 8.4 assists and 1.3 steals per game. The first of April wasn’t as kind to Jokic, as he had only 14 points, seven rebounds and seven assists while shooting 6-for-16 from the field in an unusual off-night. The Nuggets got the win, however, which head coach Michael Malone insists is the only thing that matters to his MVP front-runner. “Nikola is never a me guy,” Malone said prior to Thursday’s game. “It’s never about him, and that’s what makes him such a rare superstar.”

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THE FINAL WORD

“It wasn’t pretty. Felt like a playoff game, to be honest with you. Grind it out; we need to find ways to win these types of games.” — Head coach Michael Malone, on Thursday’s win over the Clippers.

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INJURY WATCH

• Greg Whittington (knee) last played on Mar. 15 and is considered week-to-week.
• Monte Morris (quadriceps) missed the Mar. 13 game and is considered day-to-day. He is expected to return for the Apr. 4 game against the Magic.

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ROTATION (MINUTES)

Starters:
G Jamal Murray (39)
F-G Will Barton (35)
F Michael Porter Jr. (32)
F Aaron Gordon (39)
C Nikola Jokic (36)

Bench:
G Facundo Campazzo (20)
G-F P.J. Dozier (16)
F Paul Millsap (13)
F JaMychal Green (10)
F Bol Bol (DNP-CD)
F Vlatko Cancar (DNP-CD)
G-F Gary Clark (DNP-CD)
G Markus Howard (DNP-CD)
C JaVale McGee (DNP-CD)
F Zeke Nnaji (DNP-CD)

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Shawn Drotar is the host of “The Fan Late Night with Shawn Drotar;” weeknights from 10:00 p.m. to midnight — only on 104.3 The Fan. Follow him on Twitter at @sdrotar.

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