The Los Angeles Clippers won their opening preseason match, defeating the Denver Nuggets by a final score of 103-96 at the Staples Center on Friday night.

DeAndre Jordan led his team with 14 points, going six of seven from the field while bringing down another 12 rebounds, with 11 of them coming off the defensive glass as he picked up right where he left off, ending the night with a double-double. Their point guard, Chris Paul, had a solid night’s work, assisting nine times and committing just two turnovers.  

One who did not really find his touch was Blake Griffin as he found the bottom of the hoop five times on 14 attempts, finishing with the lowest point total of the big three. There was one play though, in the second quarter that looked like vintage Griffin. As the Clippers went on a fast break, he was able to throw the ball up and Jordan reached behind his head to complete the alley-oop.

This preseason game was really about seeing how the new additions to the team would gel together, and it was Josh Smith who led the new signings with 13 points with his Houston Rockets teammate, Pablo Prigioni, only finished on five points.

Paul Pierce finished the night with just five points in 14 minutes but will be a vital player off the bench deep into the season for the Clippers, as he adds much needed experience as his team hopes to push even further into the playoffs

Denver head coach, Mike Malone will be happy with the way his team was able to fight back in the fourth quarter and trim the Clippers’ lead to only four points. One thing he will not be too pleased with, though, is the amount of turnovers his side committed, with a total of 26 turnovers, a majority of them coming in the first half.

Emmanuel Mudiay was one of the main reasons behind the sloppy play in the first half, as he ended the night with nine of them. However, he is merely a rookie and he is competing at the highest level of the sport. These mistakes are going to happen in the beginning stages of his career. As the preseason and season progress, so will his ability to run the offense with his decision making.

One positive is that he finished tied for second in scoring with 14, alongside fellow rooking Nikola Jokic. It was Joffrey Lauvergne, the 24-year-old French native who led both teams, finishing the night with 16 points, going 7 of 10 from the field.

Los Angeles will take their first road trip as they head on up to Vancouver, Canada to take on the Toronto Raptors. Meanwhile, the Denver Nuggets travel to Dallas to take on the Mavericks in their next game on Tuesday. 

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