Nikola Jokic had 22 points and 16 rebounds, Paul Millsap scored 21 and also grabbed 16 boards, and the host Denver Nuggets beat the Los Angeles Clippers 123-96 on Sunday.

Jamal Murray scored 16 points, and Gary Harris added 14 off the bench in his second game back from a right adductor strain.

Denver has won four in a row to pull within a game of Golden State in the Western Conference standings. The Nuggets lead Oklahoma City by three games in the Northwest Division.

Lou Williams had 24 points for the Clippers, who had their two-game winning streak snapped.

The Nuggets stretched an eight-point halftime lead with a big surge to start the third quarter. They scored the first eight points of the second half, including Mason Plumlee's bank-shot 3-pointer from the top of the circle that made it 72-56.

It was the second 3-pointer of the season and career for Plumlee. Later in the period, Millsap converted a three-point play to give Denver an 80-61 lead.

The Clippers cut the lead to 12 with a 9-2 run that was started by Williams' 3-pointer, the first of the game for L.A. The Clippers missed their first 15 attempts from behind the arc, including all 12 in the first half.

A 3-pointer Harris and two layups by Monte Morris sparked a 10-0 Denver run that made it 92-70 late in the third.

The Nuggets led 97-77 at the end of the third quarter. The Clippers made a short run to get within 15 with a chance to get closer, but Denver scored the next seven points to put it away.

Denver led 14-2 after Murray converted a four-point play and a layup, and Millsap also hit a layup. The Clippers chipped away to get within one late in the first quarter and then tied it at 45 when Garrett Temple hit two free throws midway through the second quarter. Denver responded with a 15-3 run before heading to the locker room with a 64-56 lead.

--Field Level Media