Denver’s charge toward the postseason is on.

The Nuggets (41-18) discharged the Los Angeles Clippers 123-96 on Sunday at the Pepsi Center with a well-rounded, democratic performance featuring big games from Nikola Jokic and Paul Millsap and cruised to another home win.

The victory improved the Nuggets’ home record to 26-4 and bumped them to 1 game behind conference-leading Golden State. Their record at the Pepsi Center remained the best in the NBA.

“Paul like discovered the fountain of youth or something,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “He’s behaving like a young Paul Millsap. ”

Jokic and Millsap combined for 43 points and 32 rebounds in a performance inside that saw the Nuggets win the rebounding battle 56-38. In the four matches this season between the teams, with the Nuggets winning three of these, the team with the rebounding edge has won each time.

Four other Nuggets finished with double figures, led by Jamal Murray‘s 16 points. The Clippers, who shot just 34 percent from the field, were only 3-for-21 from the line.

Sunday marked the start of a week for the Nuggets as they jockey for playoff position. After Sunday, theyrsquo;ll host the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday, the Utah Jazz on Thursday and the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday. A successful week could create more separation between themselves and the Thunder in the race for the No. 2 seed — a significant benchmark, given their dominance at home.

For the second consecutive game, Malone chose to bring Gary Harris off the bench after his return from an adductor strain. As was the case in the Nuggets’ triumph over Dallas on Friday, Harris was mostly deployed alongside Isaiah Thomas and Monte Morris at a unusual small-ball lineup.

“Not tempted (to start him),” Malone said. “Because of his injury history this season, even going back a few years, the last thing I want is Gary being lost to injury and coming back. … It’s all about placing Gary in the position that is best, and as I told him, Gary is our two guard. He’s just not starting on account of the situation around his injuries. I think a good deal of individuals are making a lot from Isaiah and Monte and Gary. Don’t overthink it. We’re playing basketball. ”

At issue is Harris’ ensuring he & rsquo and health;s out there for the playoffs. The Nuggets’ defense took a nosedive in December and January with Harris in and out of the lineup with nagging injuries.

“If you start putting him up at some point are you putting more? ” Malone said. “The frustration level for Gary, playing 30 some odd games and being out and in, is extremely high. ”

Harris finished with 14 points in 22 effective minutes, his defense.

The Clippers and their bench production presented a problem that the Nuggets were finally able to meet that they’re healthy.

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“We’ve got, I think, when healthy, the deepest team in the NBA, and we’re going to use that depth for a weapon to try to wear teams down,” Malone said.

The Nuggets were treated to their sellout of the season in their first home game back after the break. They started from the hop, bolting out to a 34-27 lead.

It ’s taken a quarter or two for their defense to slide into gear, but they brought the energy Sunday.

Jokic carried them in the first half on the end with three assists, eight rebounds and 18 points as Denver built a 64-56 lead. He and Murray combined for 30 points as the Nuggets buried six triples. The Clippers, meanwhile, finished the half 0-for-12 from deep.

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