LOS ANGELES — Remaining in the hunt for home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs, the Los Angeles Clippers posted a 110-103 victory over the Denver Nuggets at Staples Center on Monday.
The Clippers (55-26) earned their sixth consecutive win, and they earned their 13th victory in 14 games and their 20th in 27 since the All-Star break.
Even so, the successful stretch earned them no separation from other teams battling to be in the top half of the Western Conference playoff field.
The San Antonio Spurs (55-26) and Houston Rockets (55-26) are tied with Clippers for the second-best record in the conference. The Memphis Grizzlies (54-27) dropped a game back after a loss Monday.
All four teams have one game left: The Clippers play at Phoenix on Tuesday. On Wednesday, the Spurs play at New Orleans, the Rockets face the visiting Utah Jazz, and the Grizzlies play host to the Indiana Pacers.
The Southwest Division champion (San Antonio, Houston or Memphis) and one other team will join the No. 1 Golden State Warriors and No. 4 Portland Trail Blazers as the top four seeds.
Power forward Blake Griffin led the Clippers 22 points, and he added nine rebounds and eight assists. Shooting guard J.J. Redick had 20 points, as did center DeAndre Jordan, who also contributed a game-high 21 rebounds. Point guard Chris Paul chipped in 17 points, seven rebounds and a game-high nine assists.
Denver small forward Wilson Chandler led all scorers with 32 points. Power forward Kenneth Faried added 19 points and a team-high 17 rebounds, along with some agitation and physical play that included an elbow thrown at Griffin.
Los Angeles turned in yet another strong finish in a game that was up for grabs, a signature element of the win streak. The Clippers trailed 96-90 with 5:43 remaining, then outscored the Nuggets 14-1 to tilt the game in their favor.
The surge began with a three-point play by Griffin and featured scoring from four of the five players who closed the game for Los Angeles.
The Clippers finished the third quarter on a 9-2 run to lead 83-78.
Denver led 57-54 at the half, thanks largely to superior ball-handling. The Nuggets committed just three first-half turnovers, while the Clippers had 10. That differential negated Los Angeles’ decisive advantages in field-goal percentage and free throws attempted.
The turnover gap was largely erased after halftime, as the Nuggets finished with 14 giveaways to the Clippers’ 15.
NOTES: The Nuggets were without PG Jameer Nelson (hip) and PF Darrell Arthur (calf). The two players have not competed since April 4 and March 22, respectively. … The Clippers won the season series with the Nuggets, three games to one. … Los Angeles PG Chris Paul played in his 81st game Monday. If he plays Tuesday against Phoenix, it would the first 82-game campaign of his career. His previous high as a Clipper was 70 games.