Nuggets hold off Clippers in NBA

Los Angeles, Dec. 27: Denver and their NBA Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic thwarted a furious Clippers rally to emerge with a 103-100 victory in Los Angeles on Sunday.

The Nuggets saw their 17point third-quarter lead evaporate, falling behind by nine with 9:04 remaining only to rally for the narrow victory.

Jokic scored 26 points and pulled down 22 rebounds for the Nuggets. Will Barton added 17 and Austin Rivers and Monte Morris scored 12 points apiece as Denver avoided the kind of collapse that saw them waste a 19-point lead in a loss to Charlotte on Thursday.

Luke Kennard drained a three-pointer with 19 seconds left to pull the Clippers within one at 101100.

But Jokic was fouled on an inbounds play and made two free throws to push

Denver’s lead to three and Brandon Boston’s threepoint attempt at the buzzer for Los Angeles didn’t fall.

Boston and Eric Bledsoe led Los Angeles with 18 points apiece. Ivica Zubac scored 17 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for the Clippers, who were playing their first game since announcing that Paul George would miss at least three weeks with a torn ligament in his right elbow.

Elsewhere, Jimmy Butler returned from an eightgame injury absence to post a double-double in the Miami Heat’s 93-83 victory over the Orlando Magic.

Butler, who was sidelined with a bruised tailbone, scored 17 points and pulled down 11 rebounds, handing out four assists and coming up with three steals.

It couldn’t have been more timely after Miami’s Kyle Lowry on Saturday joined the parade of NBA players sidelined by Covid19 concerns.