James Harden had 23 points and 16 assists, while Norman Powell scored 26 of his 37 points in the second half. The Los Angeles Clippers managed to overcome Nikola Jokic's 41 points to beat the Denver Nuggets 109-104 on Saturday.

Jokić made a personal best with seven 3-pointers, but missed a free throw with 20 seconds left that would have tied the game. Harden made four free throws in the final 30.5 seconds.

The Clippers were down 103-100 when Powell nailed a 3-pointer. Jamal Murray, who had 22 points, missed a layup, and then Harden made two free throws.

After Jokic missed two free throws, Harden made two more to make it 107-104. Jokic then missed an off-balance 3-pointer.

Clippers: Harden missed a free throw in the opening loss to Phoenix on Wednesday, but was 12 of 13 from the line on Saturday. He also had 16 assists, several of which went to Ivica Zubac, who had 24 points and 15 rebounds.

Nuggets: The offense was better overall, but the bench team had a bit of an off night, going 3 for 18 from the field. Just Julian Swatther made a field goal for that group.

Two weeks ago at the Avalanche's home opener, Jokic gave Colorado star Nathan MacKinnon his MVP trophy. Before Saturday's game, MacKinnon returned the favor. He brought out the Michael Jordan Trophy while wearing a Jokic jersey and gave the three-time MVP a hug.

Denver only made seven of their 38 three-pointers in Thursday's loss to Oklahoma City and then missed 11 of 13 on Saturday. They made 12 of their next 20, but then missed their final two attempts.

The Clippers are playing Golden State on Sunday night, while the Nuggets are playing Toronto on Monday night. That's the start of a three-game road trip for them.