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Foye's 3 lifts Nuggets over Clippers

Feb 4, 2014 - 6:47 AM Denver, CO (SportsNetwork.com) - Randy Foye fixed a broken play at the buzzer, draining a miracle 3-pointer to send the Denver Nuggets over the Los Angeles Clippers 116-115 in a thriller at Pepsi Center.

Matt Barnes provided the 22nd lead change in a back-and-forth affair on an unlikely 3-pointer with 6.2 seconds remaining, leaving just enough time for the Nuggets to steal a win.

J.J. Hickson held the ball near the top of the key for a slow-developing pick- and-roll, and Foye rushed over to take the ball away from the big man. With Blake Griffin in his face, Foye faded away from 30 feet and released it just before the buzzer, sliding on his back as the ball dropped through the net.

"Man, it's surreal. Pandemonium. Chills went through my body. My teammates jumped on me. I think somebody hurt my leg, but I didn't feel anything. I just went numb. It's just an unbelievable feeling," Foye said.

The Nuggets, who have relied heavily on their bench all season, saw all five of their starters score in double figures. Kenneth Faried finished with a career-high 28 points with 11 rebounds and Ty Lawson scored 27 in the win.

Griffin poured in 36 points to lead the Clippers, who got 19 points from both DeAndre Jordan and Jamal Crawford.

"Overall the defense was pretty good. (Foye) made a tough shot. It happens," LA head coach Doc Rivers said.

Los Angeles, which has now dropped two of its last three, held the largest lead in the fourth quarter at six, 107-101, before the Nuggets scored eight straight points to keep the seesaw battle going.

After Jordan, a 41.3 percent free throw shooter, tied things again with two at the stripe, Griffin knocked an offensive rebound away from Faried and got behind the Denver defense for a go-ahead dunk with 1:29 remaining.

Whistles were quick to blow on the next three possessions, and Griffin's 1- of-2 showing sandwiched around Lawson and Wilson Chandler's two free throws found the Clippers trailing by one, 113-112, inside the final minute.

Griffin grabbed his 11th rebound on a Lawson miss to set up Barnes' triple.

A tight first quarter featured six lead chances, seven ties and 15 points from Griffin.

Los Angeles held a slim 29-25 lead heading to the second and scored 11 straight points in the early stages to build a 13-point cushion.

Denver, however, ended the half on an 11-2 run, and it was fittingly tied at 60-60 at the break.

An equally-even third quarter ended with Quincy Miller coming away with a steal and going a coast-to-coast for a layup just before the buzzer to give the Nuggets an 82-81 advantage.

Game Notes

Jordan pulled down 12 boards and has posted double-digit rebounds in 28 straight games, breaking Blake Griffin's franchise record set in the 2010-11 season ... Hickson checked in with 17 points and 12 rebounds while Foye and Chandler each scored 14 for the Nuggets, who held a 52-37 advantage on the glass and scored 16 more second-chance points (24-8) ... Denver's reserves combined for 16 points, 25 fewer than their season average.