On October 27, Beijing time, the NBA regular season continued, and the Clippers narrowly defeated the Nuggets 109-104 and refused to reverse by 18 points. Harden had 23 points and 16 assists, Zubac had 24 points and 15 rebounds, and Powell exploded with 37 points and seven three-pointers. The Clippers led the Nuggets by as many as 18 points, but were beaten by their opponents. Jokic scored 41 points and hit a career-high seven three-pointers, but missed key free throws. Wei Shao's hand was still cold, 0 of 8 in this game, and he only scored two points from free throws. In the first two games of the season, Wei Shao shot 2-of-18.

Statistics

Clippers: Harden 23 points, 6 rebounds and 16 assists, Zubac 24 points and 15 rebounds, Powell 37 points and 7 three-pointers, Dunn 11 points and 6 rebounds, Derrick Jones Jr. 9 points

Nuggets: Jokic 41 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 7 three-pointers, Murray 22 points and 5 assists, Braun 11 points and 7 rebounds, Gordon 10 points and 5 rebounds, Porter 9 points and 9 rebounds, Westbrook 2 points, 2 assists and 2 steals (0 of 8), Strauser 8 points

The star of the game

Harden, Powell, Zubac played well and refused to suffer an 18-point comeback.

Match tidbits

NHL MVP Nathan McKinnon presented Jokic with the MVP trophy before the game.

Game recap

In the first quarter, Murray hit a three-pointer, Gordon scored a layup, and the Nuggets opened the game 8-2. Harden sent assists in a row, and the Clippers' Powell, Jones, and Zubac scored one after another, and the Clippers responded with a wave of 16-6 to overtake the Nuggets. Jokic hit a three-point shot, Kevin Porter Jr. scored a dunk, Harden made a layup, hit a three-pointer, and made two free throws, and Harden scored seven straight points in the last 1:28 of the first quarter. At the end of the first quarter, the Clippers led the Nuggets 27-19. Harden had 7 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists in the first quarter.

In the second quarter, Wei Shao made two free throws, but he didn't have any shooting touch, and he failed to hit the first six shots. Murray and Porter scored successively, the Nuggets still trailed by 4 points, Dunn hit a three-point shot, Zubac scored continuously inside, Kevin Porter Jr. completed a dunk, Powell also scored a layup, and the Clippers blasted a wave of 14-0 and had an 18-point lead. Murray, Gordon, and Jokic hit consecutive three-pointers to respond with a 9-0 run and break the Nuggets' goal drought of nearly 5 minutes. Harden scored on a throw-in, Zubac hit a hook shot, and Jokic scored four straight points. At halftime, the Clippers led the Nuggets 48-42.

In the first half, the Clippers' Zubac had 15 points and 8 rebounds, Harden had 11 points, 6 rebounds and 9 assists, and Powell had 10 points. The Nuggets' Jokic had 16 points and five rebounds, Murray had nine points, Gordon had eight points and three rebounds, and Willis had two points and shot 0-of-6 from the field.

Yibian fought again, Murray scored on a layup, Zubac hit a hook shot, Powell hit a three-point shot, the Nuggets regained their touch, Jokic and Braun scored in a row, and after a wave of 7-0, the Nuggets tied the Clippers 59-59, after they trailed by as many as 18 points. Dunn hit a three-pointer, Harden scored on a throw-up, Jokic hit a hook-shot, and Strauser also hit a three-pointer. Braun scored on a layup to overtake the Clippers. Harden made two of three free throws and Braun made two of two free throws. At the end of the third quarter, the Nuggets led the Clippers 71-70.

In the final quarter, Zubac scored with a hook shot, and Dunn and Strawther exchanged three-pointers. Gordon hit a backhand dunk, and Jokic hit back-to-back three-pointers to give the Nuggets a five-point lead. Powell returned with a three-pointer. Westbrook was 0-of-8, Powell hit a three-pointer in a row, and the Clippers trailed by one point. Porter dunked and scored, Murray hit a three-point shot, Powell, Zubac, and Jones scored in a row, and the Clippers came back with a 6-0 lead. Harden scored on a mid-range shot and Jokic hit his seventh three-pointer for a career-high hit. Powell hit a three-pointer to tie the game at 103. Harden made a foul successfully, the Nuggets challenge failed, Harden hit two free throws, Jokic hit one of two free throws, the Nuggets could only deliberately foul, Harden continued to make free throws, two free throws and two hits. Jokic missed a three-pointer, Braun had to foul again, and Powell hit two free throws to give the Clippers a narrow win over the Nuggets.

Both sides start

Clippers: Harden, Powell, Jones, Mann, Zubac

Nuggets: Murray, Braun, Porter, Gordon, Jokic