LOS ANGELES -- Denver coach Mike Malone rolled the dice. Fortunately for him and the Nuggets, the gamble paid off in a surprising win over the Los Angeles Clippers.

Forward Kenneth Faried scored 21 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in three quarters, and the Nuggets ended a three-game skid with an 87-81 victory over the Clippers on Wednesday night at Staples Center.

Guard Gary Harris had 17 points for the Nuggets, who ended a four-game losing streak to the Clippers. Nuggets forward Danilo Gallinari added 16 points and eight rebounds.

Denver prevailed despite Malone sitting Faried the entire fourth quarter.

"Obviously, down the stretch, they were playing so small, it was tough to get him back in," Malone said. "But Kenneth, I thought, was a huge contributor in the paint, finishing around the basket and putting a lot of pressure on them."

Faried took the benching in stride.

"We won. That's all that matters. I'm happy. We got the monkey off our back," said Faried, who made 10 of 15 shots from the floor and collected six offensive rebounds in 23 minutes.

The Nuggets survived despite making only five of 17 shots (29.4 percent) in the final quarter. However, the Clippers hit just seven of 22 shots (31.8 percent) in the fourth and missed some crucial baskets late.

Guards Jamal Crawford and J.J. Redick scored 20 points apiece for the Clippers, who had beaten Denver in the previous six meetings at Staples. Point guard Chris Paul had 17 points, 10 assists and six rebounds. No other Clipper reached double figures.

"It was a tough loss," said Paul, who missed four of five shots in the fourth and was ailing after taking an elbow to his forearm in the quarter. "You have to give them a lot of credit for playing hard, but at the same time, we have to win games like this."

The Clippers (37-20) launched 46 3-point attempts, making 13 (28.5 percent) and hitting just 30 of 85 field-goal attempts overall (35.3 percent). Denver wasn't much better, shooting 37.8 percent (34 of 90) from the floor and six of 24 from 3-point range (25 percent).

The Nuggets (23-35) held a 71-62 lead at the start of the fourth. They increased the margin to 12 points before the Clippers rallied.

Paul pulled Los Angeles within 80-75 with a 3-point bucket with 4:15 left in the contest. After the Nuggets turned the ball over with a 24-second clock violation, Redick nailed another trey to slice the lead to 80-78 with 3:37 remaining.

The teams exchanged baskets before a 3-pointer by Harris gave Denver an 85-80 advantage with 1:58 remaining. A free throw by center DeAndre Jordan got Los Angeles within four, but the Clippers failed to get any closer after forward Jeff Green was called for an offensive foul with 30.4 seconds left.

Two foul shots by point guard Emmanuel Mudiay capped the scoring with 25.5 seconds remaining.

"You're going to have games throughout the season where you come out flat," said Redick, who was six of 12 on treys. "Whether it is energy (or) focus, those games happen."

Denver wiped out an 11-2 deficit and outscored Los Angeles 21-8 for a 23-19 after one period. Paul (10) and Redick (nine) accounted for all of the Clippers' points.

The Nuggets continued to control the contest in the second quarter, taking a 53-39 lead at the break after closing the half on a 14-0 run in the final 2:41. Faried had 17 points in the first half.

Faried was a major reason the Nuggets posted a 44-22 edge on points in the paint. The Nuggets also outrebounded the Clippers 57-47 overall and 14-9 on offensive rebounds.

"We were able to get to the basket, and we finished around the basket," Faried said. "We've been preaching that all year."

NOTES: Clippers coach Doc Rivers marveled at the recent play and work ethic of 35-year-old G Jamal Crawford. Since Dec. 25, Crawford was averaging 16.7 points per game before Wednesday's game, second best among NBA reserves. "He breaks all of the new rules, like guys in the summer lift (weights) now and run and do all of the strength-coach stuff, and don't play basketball," Rivers said. "Jamal does no lifting -- I don't think he has a muscle in his body -- but he plays pickup every day, all summer. There's something to be said with the old-school way of doing things." ... The clubs meet for the final time this season on March 27 at Staples Center. ... Both teams resume play on the road Friday. Denver meets the Dallas Mavericks. Los Angeles faces the Sacramento Kings.