DENVER (AP) — Jamal Murray scored a game-high 20 points and the Denver Nuggets beat the Los Angeles Clippers 120-98 on Friday night despite a quiet game from Nikola Jokic.

Jokic, who scored 56 and 48 points in the last two games, had a season-low two assists and tied a season-low 16 points and seven rebounds.

James Harden scored 15 points and had nine turnovers for Los Angeles, helping the team lose two straight.

The Clippers scored 18 straight points in the second quarter, turning a 12-point deficit into a five-point lead. Denver missed eight shots and had 10 turnovers in nearly six minutes as Los Angeles went on offense.

The Nuggets responded with a 23-5 run in the third quarter to take control of the game. Michael Porter Jr. scored 10 of his 17 points in the third quarter.

Denver held an opponent under 100 points for the first time since April 9th.

Takeaways

Clippers: In the first two games this season against Denver, Norman Powell averaged 32.6 points and hit 63.2% of his 3-point attempts. He was held to 16 points and 3 of 10 from deep.

Nuggets: Coach Michael Malone has tried to take the pressure off Jokic this season and found an opportunity Friday night. Jokic played less than 30 minutes and was not substituted in the fourth quarter.

Key moment

The Clippers led 58-55 early in the second half when Murray had two steals that sparked Denver’s decisive run.

Key statistics

Entering the night, Denver was 0-5 after two or more days of rest and 4-0 for the second straight game.

Next

Both teams play on Monday night, with the Clippers hosting the Jazz and the Nuggets on the road at the Kings.

___

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba