The Denver Nuggets continued their phenomenal year at home Sunday afternoon with a 123-96 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.

With the win, Denver’s record now sits at 41-18, which puts them just a game behind Golden State for first place in the Western Conference. The Nuggets are now 26-4 at home this season, which is the best mark in the NBA. Denver has also won eight straight games at home and 10 of their last 13 games overall.

After opening the second half of the season with a 10-point victory in Dallas, the Nuggets were looking to stay hot Sunday afternoon in a matinee matchup against Los Angeles. Denver did just that as they opened the game strong by jumping out to an early 12-2 lead courtesy of some Nikola Jokic floaters and a 4-point play by Jamal Murray.

The Nuggets offense was humming early on as every one was getting in on the action. Murray led the charge with six early points as Denver’s lead was 18-13 with 4:53 left in the first quarter. Denver would only build on that lead to close the period as they ended up taking a 34-27 lead into quarter number two. Through one quarter, Jokic led the way with seven points, four rebounds, and three assists as Denver had eight different players that scored in the opening 12 minutes of play.

As a team, Denver shot 57 percent from the field in the first period, which is something they looked to build on in the second quarter. The Nuggets were able to do just that as they pushed their lead up to double-digits with nine minutes remaining in the quarter. Los Angeles quickly answered though by cutting the Nuggets lead back down to five with 7:31 left before halftime.

Even with the Clippers hanging close, Denver was still firmly in control of the basketball game as Jokic was dominating the game offensively. The Nuggets big man had 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field at the midway point of the second quarter as Jokic was a major reason why Denver was in the lead. Los Angeles would not go away though as they tied the game at 45 with just under six minutes left in the half.

Once Los Angeles tied the game, Murray came to life for Denver with five straight points to get the Nuggets back on track offensively. Murray also drew a charge on the defensive end of the floor as Denver was playing solid on both ends of the court. The one thing that Denver was doing an extremely good job of was shutting down Los Angeles’ three-point offense, which the Clippers made zero of in the opening half.

Because of the Nuggets timely offense and complimentary defense, Denver took a 64-56 lead into the halftime locker room. At the break, Jokic led the way offensively with 18 points, eight rebounds, and three assists on an extremely efficient 7-of-11 shooting from the field. Murray also had a tremendous first half as he finished with 12 points, four assists, and three rebounds to go along with his two three-pointers.

Jokic and Murray were the only Nuggets players who scored in double-figures through two quarters, but Denver did have nine different players that scored at least a point in half number one. Denver’s balanced scoring was a big reason why they held an eight-point lead at the half, which is something they looked to duplicate in the final 24 minutes of play.

Denver came out of the halftime locker room firing on all cylinders as they opened the third quarter on a 8-0 run that was highlighted by a rare Mason Plumlee three-pointer.

That was just Plumlee’s second career three-pointer as all the momentum was on Denver’s side after that made basket. Plumlee’s three-pointer stole the show, but it was really the play of Paul Millsap that was helping Denver pull-away from Los Angeles. At the 5:19 mark of the third quarter, Denver led 80-66 as Millsap was up to 16 points and 11 rebounds for his third straight double-double. Millsap was also 6-of-9 shooting from the field as he was playing with a ton of confidence on both ends of the floor.

Millsap’s confidence rubbed off on his teammates, especially Gary Harris who was playing in just his second game back from injury. Harris had 12 points through three quarters behind two three-pointers as the Nuggets took a 97-77 lead into the final quarter of play. Through three quarters, the Nuggets were shooting a scorching 54 percent from the field to go along with their 11 three-pointers, which was 10 more than Los Angeles had going into the final 12 minutes of play.

Denver held that same 20-point lead for most of the fourth, until Los Angeles made a quick run to cut the Nuggets lead to 103-87 with 7:15 left in the game. The Nuggets answered with a 9-3 run to push their lead back up to 22-points, which eliminated any chance at a Clippers comeback. Denver dominated the final five minutes of play to ultimately capture a 123-96 victory over Los Angeles in a game they controlled for all four quarters.

Stat leaders for the Nuggets were Jokic, who had another big night finishing with a double-double of 22 points and 16 rebounds to go along with his three assists. Murray also had a big day as he scored 16 points and dished out six asssits, while Millsap had an exceptional game as well finishing with a double-double of 21 points and 16 rebounds. Other Nuggets who finished in double-figures were Isaiah Thomas (10), Monte Morris (12), and Harris (14) as all three played a big role in Denver picking up the victory.

Denver now has a day off tomorrow before they are back in action Tuesday night at home for a Western Conference showdown against the Oklahoma City Thunder.