LA Clippers beat Denver Nuggets 122-110: Hachimura and Miller spark Intuit Dome win

The LA Clippers beat the Denver Nuggets 122-110 at Intuit Dome on Wednesday, October 14. Rui Hachimura scored 16 points and Baba Miller added 15 off the bench as Los Angeles pulled away after a tied first quarter, in front of 13,018 fans.

The score was knotted 24-24 after one. The Clippers then won the second 34-31 and blew the game open in the third, 38-26, to lead 96-81. Denver never got closer than 12 the rest of the way. The lead changed five times, and Los Angeles held the advantage for most of the night.

How the Clippers won it

Los Angeles shot 45-of-87 from the floor (52 percent) and 15-of-33 from three (45 percent), with 35 assists on those 45 makes. Darius Garland had 14 points and 7 assists in 23 minutes. Derrick Jones Jr. matched him with 14 points and 5 rebounds. Keaton Wagler started and scored 12 with 4 assists and 5 boards in 28 minutes.

Miller went 5-of-6 for 15 points and a plus-14 in 21 minutes. Jalen Pickett scored 10 with 5 assists, Gradey Dick added 8 points and 3 steals, and Brook Lopez had 9 in only 8 minutes. Isaiah Jackson finished with 9 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists. Brandon Ingram, Bradley Beal, Kris Dunn and Max Strus did not play.

Denver’s side

Trevon Brazile led all scorers with 22 points off the Nuggets bench on 8-of-10 shooting, including 3 threes. Cam Whitmore added 17. Jamal Murray scored 14 on 6-of-8 in 17 minutes, and Nikola Jokic had 5 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists in the same stretch before the starters sat.

Julian Strawther scored 11 points with 3 threes in 19 minutes before exiting with a left knee injury and not returning. Aaron Gordon had 8 points and 6 rebounds. Denver shot 41-of-86 (48 percent) and 11-of-33 from deep, but went only 17-of-30 at the line and turned it over 17 times. DeMar DeRozan did not play.

The Clippers closed the preseason night with the better three-point night and cleaner ball. Next for both clubs is the regular-season open.