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Bledsoe, Griffin help Clippers edge Nuggets

Mar 6, 2011 - 6:58 AM Los Angeles, CA (Sports Network) - Eric Bledsoe scored 20 points off the bench and Blake Griffin finished one assist shy of his first triple-double, leading the Los Angeles Clippers to a 100-94 victory over the Denver Nuggets.

Griffin had 18 points, 12 rebounds and a career-high nine assists as the Clippers won for the second time in a row on the heels of a five-game losing streak.

Nene had a double-double before halftime for Denver and finished with 25 points and 14 rebounds, but the Nuggets shot just 39 percent and fell to 5-2 since the Carmelo Anthony trade.

Both teams lost guards to injury in the second quarter.

Clippers leading scorer Eric Gordon, in just his second game back after missing 18, re-injured his right wrist after being fouled by Timofey Mozgov with 5:08 left in the second quarter.

Gordon, who couldn't take his foul shots, said afterward that nothing was broken.

"It's aggravated," he said. "It's going to take some time."

Denver's Arron Afflalo missed the second half with a strained hamstring.

The Nuggets trailed by as many as 16 points in the game and were down as many as 13 in the fourth quarter. Still, they were within striking distance late.

LA led 97-92 when, after a scramble, Mo Williams missed a three-pointer from the top of the arc. Denver got the rebound with 15 seconds left, but Bledsoe stole the ball back, leading to a pair of free throws that sealed it.

"I just tried to play my minutes," said Bledsoe. "I just tried to shoot the ball when I was open and be aggressive."

Nuggets head coach George Karl said he couldn't complain with how hard his team played in coming back from several large deficits. They just couldn't make it all the way back.

"We fought back in that game four or five times," said Karl. "But when Arron went down, we needed someone to seize the opportunity and we just never shot well from the perimeter and didn't get to the free throw line the way we do."

Denver gave up a big run in the first quarter and trailed 30-23 entering the second. The Clippers poured it on, going ahead by as many 16 before halftime before taking a 48-38 lead into the break.

Nene tallied 11 points and 11 rebounds in the first half for the Nuggets, but Griffin poured in 12 for the Clippers and new teammate Williams scored nine of his 17 points in the half.

"LA has some great weapons," said Karl, whose team trailed 71-65 after three quarters.

Game Notes

The Nuggets are 1-1 on a three-game road trip that ends next Thursday in Phoenix...The Clippers had snapped a four-game skid to Denver with a 106-93 win at Staples Center on January 5.