• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Clippers down Nuggets, set franchise mark with 57th win

Apr 16, 2014 - 6:14 AM Los Angeles, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - The second seed is still possible, albeit slim.

The Los Angeles Clippers will not only be without Blake Griffin in their season finale at Portland, but they'll also need help from the lowly Detroit Pistons.

Griffin had 24 points, Chris Paul added 21 points and 10 assists and the Clippers set the franchise record for wins in their 117-105 triumph over the Denver Nuggets.

Griffin, though, picked up his 16th technical of the season and that triggers a one-game suspension, which he will have to serve Wednesday.

The technical occurred late in the second quarter when he swung his right arm while trying to get a ball from Denver's Timofey Mozgov and struck him in the head.

The only way Griffin will be available Wednesday is if the NBA rescinds the technical.

"I think it will be rescinded ... but I'm not going to play anyway," Griffin admitted.

LA needs to win at Portland on Wednesday night, while the 29-52 Pistons have to beat the Thunder in Oklahoma City for it to earn the two seed. DeAndre Jordan tallied 13 points and 16 rebounds for the Clippers, whose 57 wins surpassed the mark set last season.

They've won 20 of their last 24 games.

Kenneth Faried had 21 points and six rebounds and Mozgov supplied 18 points and 11 boards for Denver, which had its three-game winning streak snapped.

The Clippers led by as many as 23 in the third quarter, but Denver closed the frame on a 19-4 run to get back in it. Mozgov, who had seven points during the surge, capped it with a three-point play to whittle the deficit to 88-80 after three.

Quincy Miller's runner got Denver within 91-86 with 8:44 to go, but LA countered with a 10-2 spurt to regain control of the contest. Jamal Crawford's layup ended the swing and upped the advantage to 101-88 midway through the stanza.

Denver never got within less than eight down the stretch.

Griffin and Paul sat out the final quarter.

Earlier, Paul netted six quick points as the Clippers raced out to a 13-0 start. They led 38-26 after one quarter of play and headed into the break with a 63-46 cushion.

"Their 13-0 run to start the game happened so fast. Maybe I should have called a timeout. As short-handed as we were, we didn't have enough juice to get over the hump," Nuggets head coach Brian Shaw said.

Game Notes

The Clippers shot 53 percent (44-of-83) from the floor and 37.5 percent (9- of-24) from beyond the arc ... J.J. Redick had 18 points for Los Angeles ... Denver shot 42.7 percent (35-of-82) from the field.