In a building where nobody seems to defeat Nikola Jokic, much less outplay him, Paul George and the new-look Clippers came as close as anyone has this young season.
In one of the most physical, intense games so far of their title defense, the Nuggets escaped the Clippers, 111-108, with a 17-5 run to erase a seven-point deficit in the fourth quarter.
Jokic finished with 32 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists but was contained to those numbers on 8-of-23 shooting thanks to a variety of coverages Los Angeles threw at him, culminating in smaller matchups down the stretch such as P.