Paul George Leads Clippers Past Nuggets in Race for West's No. 2 Seed

The Los Angeles Clippers led wire-to-wire en route to a 132-103 win over the visiting Denver Nuggets at Staples Center on Friday.

Paul George scored 24 points to lead L.A, which shot 53.9 percent from the field. Kawhi Leonard added 19 points, and Montrezl Harrell contributed an 18-point, 10-rebound double-double with three blocks. Seven Clips finished with at least 10 points.

Nikola Jokic led Denver with a 21-point, nine-rebound night, and Jerami Grant pitched in 20 points off the bench.

The Clips led 37-27 after one quarter and maintained a 10-point lead heading into halftime. They outscored Denver by 10 in the first and fourth quarters.

L.A. and Denver are now tied for second place in the Western Conference at 40-19.

Notable Performances

Nuggets C Nikola Jokic: 21 PTS, 9 REB, 2 AST

Nuggets F Jerami Grant: 20 PTS, 4 REB, 2 AST

Nuggets G Jamal Murray: 11 PTS, 2 REB, 2 AST

Clippers G/F Paul George: 24 PTS, 4 REB, 2 AST

Clippers F Kawhi Leonard: 19 PTS, 5 AST, 2 REB

Clippers F Montrezl Harrell: 18 PTS, 10 REB, 4 AST

Clippers State Their Case for No. 2 Seed

The Eastern and Western Conference races for the No. 1 seeds are all but over, with the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers far ahead of their competitors.

The races for the No. 2 seeds are heated, however, with the West's competition gaining a bit more drama Friday.

Denver had an opportunity to escape L.A. with a two-game lead and the head-to-head tiebreaker in hand, but that didn't happen as George and Leonard guided the Clips to an easy win.

The Nuggets' problem is that the Clips are well-positioned to run away with the No. 2 seed.

First, George and Leonard are both healthy. The two have combined to miss 35 games this year, some of them because of load management on Leonard's end.

But the duo looked as good as hoped Friday, combining to shoot 15-of-27. George's efforts were particularly encouraging, as he entered the game having averaged just 8.3 points per game in his last four. He shot 12-of-46 during that stretch but went 9-of-15 (6-of-8 from three-point range) against Denver.

George and Leonard would be a formidable duo even if the Clippers roster were short on depth, but L.A. might have the deepest bench in the league.

Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell continue to pace the second unit's scoring efforts, and the two combined for 35 more points on 13-of-24 shooting. Yet the Clips can easily run 10 deep with players capable of at least spot-starting on a given night.

The February additions of Reggie Jackson (15.4 points per game with the Detroit Pistons in 2018-19) and Marcus Morris (19.6 points per game for the New York Knicks this year) give the Clips tremendous depth and two starting-caliber players in reserve roles.

The guard depth is already fantastic with the tenacious Patrick Beverley running the point and the hot-shooting Landry Shamet coming off the bench.

And the Clips are fine in the frontcourt as well with traditional center Ivica Zubac, who piles up points, blocks and boards on his best nights.

L.A. can also stretch the floor with JaMychal Green from the power forward spot.

The bottom line is the Clips are going to be a serious problem in the playoffs with their 10-man rotation. Until then, they may cruise to a No. 2 seed.

What's Next?

The Clippers will welcome the Philadelphia 76ers into town Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET.

Denver will head home to Pepsi Center for a Sunday game against the Toronto Raptors at 6 p.m.