The Denver Nuggets pulled off one of the most stunning upsets of the NBA season finishing atop the Clippers 113-104 in Los Angeles behind an extraordinary night from Reggie Jackson.
With Nikola Jokić (back), Jamal Murray (hamstring), and Aaron Gordon (heel) all missing, Jackson stepped up in a major way finishing with 35 points, five rebounds, and 13 assists on 15-of-19 shooting in 40 minutes of play.
He incredibly joins Wilt Chamberlain as the only other player in NBA history to put up 35+ points, 5+ rebounds, and 13+ assists on better than 78 per cent shooting from the field in a single game.
13 of his points came in the final frame whilst the Clippers only scored 16 of their own in the entire fourth quarter.
DeAndre Jordan also had a monster night finishing with 21 points, 13 rebounds, and five assists on 8-of-11 shooting – his highest-scoring game in over five years.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (12 points, 3-of-14 shooting) and Michael Porter Jr. (eight points, 3-of-13 shooting) had difficult nights shooting for Denver but they still managed to eke out a memorable victory.
The Clippers leapt out to a double-digit lead early in the second which evaporated prior to the half before earning themselves another double-digit edge at the end of the third only for a 36-16 fourth quarter to swing the game the way of the defending champions.
Denver won the boards battle and the paint battle whilst shooting better clips from the floor and from deep.
Kawhi Leonard (31 points, 10-of-26 shooting) led the way for LA whilst Ivica Zubac (23 points, 14 rebounds) and Russell Westbrook (14 points, 11 rebounds) also contributed.
James Harden (11 points, 3-of-7 shooting) had a quiet night whilst Paul George (six points, 2-of-13 shooting) will look to scrub his performance from his memory.
The Nuggets are back home to face the Rockets on Thursday whilst the Clippers will look to bounce back against the Kings in Sacramento the same day.
