UNSTOPPABLE AT HOME
Jokic, Nuggets preserve unbeaten run
LOS ANGELES (AFP) – Nikola Jokic scored 32 points as the Denver Nuggets preserved their unbeaten home record to send the Los Angeles Clippers spinning to a sixth straight defeat in the NBA'S in-season tournament on Tuesday, Nov. 14. A roller coaster Western Conference Group B battle in Denver saw the NBA champions overturn a seven-point deficit midway through the fourth quarter to close out a 111-108 victory. The defeat was another bitter blow for the Clippers, who have now lost six games in a row since clinching the blockbuster signing of James Harden last month.
The Clippers looked to be poised to snap that losing streak after a magnificent performance from Paul George, who finished with 35 points while Harden added 21.
Yet the battle-hardened savvy of Denver proved the difference down the stretch, with the Nuggets outscoring Los Angeles 19-9 in the final minutes of the fourth quarter to snatch victory. "They'd lost five in a row so we knew they were going to play really aggressive," Jokic said. "But we were undefeated at home this season and we wanted to keep it like that," added the Serb, who had 16 rebounds and nine assists.
Jokic was given scoring support from Aaron Gordon with 20 points while Reggie Jackson added 18.
In San Francisco, a fiery clash between the Golden State Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves ended in a 104-101 victory for the visitors, who overturned a 12-point third-quarter deficit to snatch victory.
The result was overshadowed by a spectacular melee in the first quarter which saw Golden State stars Klay Thompson and Draymond Green ejected along with Minnesota's Jaden Mcdaniels.
Thompson was given his marching orders after a tangle with Mcdaniels in center court that ended with the Warriors player's shirt ripped.