Kahwi Leonard finished with 29 points in 32 mins. He played no part of the 4th quarter. Paul George also finished with 19 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists.
Still recovering from their exhausting game 7 victory over the Jazz, Denver looked like a fatigued side from tip off and never looked likely of staging a comeback at any point in this game. Jokic had 15 points whilst Murray who still seems to be suffering from the injury he aggravated on Tuesday, ended his night with just 13 points.
The return of Patrick Beverly gave Clippers another edge on the defensive end and they are now 12-1 when they have a fully fit roster.
The weakness of the Denver defense that plagued them through the entire first round showed once again as the Clippers shot 57% from the field. Unfortunately for the Denver, they were limited to shooting 42% on a night where their starters combined to score just 57 points.
"I thought we just locked into our assignments," George said. "I thought to be honest, that was the best we've done so far against an opponent. I think we just locked into our assignments. Our attention to detail was great. And we followed the game plan."
Denver Coach, Michael Malone, felt their seven game series with Utah played a part today.
"I think that definitely played a part, Their last game was Sunday. We had our last game on Tuesday night and didn't get back to the hotel until after midnight. ... We were tired. Tomorrow we will get them as much as rest as we can and have a more energetic performance Saturday night."
Doc Rivers also praised the impact Beverly has on the squad: “He's a defensive captain with his voice. He calls out coverages. He holds everybody responsible. And to have that voice to start games is just invaluable. Then what it does, it just leaks over to the rest of the team. So when you see him playing like that, and talking like that on defense, it helps the entire team."
It may just be game 1 and the Nuggets might bounce back but it is going to take something extra ordinary to beat them when they play the way they did tonight.