LAS VEGAS (AP) — Kenneth Faried had 19 and seven rebounds to lead the Denver Nuggets to a 104-93 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers in a preseason game Saturday night.
Arron Afflalo scored 16 points, Randy Foye had 14 points and five assists, and Danilo Gallinari added 12 points for Denver (2-4).
Blake Griffin scored 27 points and Jamal Crawford had 23 to lead the Clippers (1-4). Chris Paul added 13 points and nine assists.
Griffin, who had five rebounds, committed his fifth foul with 7:39 left in the third quarter after scoring 18 points in 20 minutes. He returned and played the first 10:36 of the fourth quarter, finishing 9 for 13 from the free-throw line as the Clippers went 33 of 45.
The Nuggets pulled away from a 51-all tie at halftime, scoring the first five points of the third quarter and didn’t trail again.
After leading 64-61, Denver used a 12-2 run to build a 13-point lead twice in the third. Los Angeles came no closer than 87-80 in the fourth. Denver earned its largest lead at 104-90 with 1:38 left.
Denver shot 38 for 83 (46 percent) from the field, while the Clippers were 27 of 73 (37 percent).
The Nuggets used a 16-2 run from late in the first quarter through midway in the second quarter to build their largest lead of the half, 40-27.
Los Angeles had jumped to a 9-2 lead, its biggest advantage of the game and only lead in the first quarter.
TIP-INS
The Nuggets: The is the third straight year Denver has been the road team in a preseason game against the Clippers at Mandalay Bay Events Center. The Nuggets won two years ago, while they lost last year.
The Clippers: This past three years have been the only times the Clippers have hosted a preseason game in Las Vegas. This was their fourth game in Las Vegas during preseason, also playing the Lakers in 1993.
UP NEXT
Denver hosts Portland on Tuesday.
The Clippers visit Golden State on Tuesday
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