LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Kawhi Leonard scored 29 points and the Los Angeles Clippers rolled past the Denver Nuggets 120-97 on Thursday night in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals.Paul George scored 19 points and Marcus Morris added 18.
The Clippers shot 57% from the field.Nikola Jokic scored 15 points for the Nuggets, who were coming off a seven-game series with Utah that just ended Tuesday.
Jamal Murray, who averaged 31.6 points in the first round and scored at least 50 points twice in that series, finished with just 12 points on 5-for-15 shooting.
Denver shot just 42%.The Clippers took charge in the second quarter, outscoring the Nuggets 38-20 to take a 69-51 lead at halftime.