DENVER -- The Los Angeles Clippers were searching for a spark to help them end their skid. Two improbable shots served the purpose.

Forward Blake Griffin's desperation 3-pointer and guard Jamal Crawford's halfcourt heave at the third-quarter buzzer spurred the Clippers to a 111-94 win over the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday night.

Center DeAndre Jordan had 18 points and 11 rebounds, and Griffin also had a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Clippers.

Guard Chris Paul had 15 points and 10 assists and guard J.J. Redick had 12 of his 16 points in the first half. The Clippers (7-7) had lost three straight.

"I don't know about a relief but it felt good," Paul said of reaching .500. "I don't think we've been under .500 since I got here. It's kind of an eerie feeling."

They were in danger of going further below even when Griffin and Crawford came through.

Griffin, coming off a season-low nine points against Toronto on Sunday, missed 10 of his first 13 shots but got rolling when he hit a desperation 3-pointer that beat the shot clock. He hit his next two shots to put the Clippers ahead 71-60 midway through the third.

He then fed center Jordan on an alley-oop after a Denver basket.

"I didn't know he had the strength to make that shot," Clippers coach Doc Rivers said. "When you think about the strength to make the shot he made, that was in the air from the 3, ain't a lot of guys can do that -- LeBron (James) and Blake."

Crawford had four points until his 3-pointer from halfcourt beat the buzzer to end L.A. an 83-72 lead.

"Plays like that can jolt you," Crawford said. "Sometimes it's worth more than the three points because after that Blake got in a rhythm. After I hit that halfcourt shot I got in a rhythm."

Crawford stayed hot at the start of the fourth. He hit two free throws, another 3-pointer and a jumper from the top of the key to extend the Clippers' lead to 90-76 with 9:50 remaining.

He finished with 15 points.

Forward Danilo Gallinari led Denver (6-9) with 20 points and a career-high 18 rebounds, all on the defensive end. Center Nikola Jokic added 16 points.

"He's getting in the mix, trying to rebound, trying to do whatever he can to help this team win," Nuggets coach Michael Malone said of Gallinari.

Guard Gary Harris and Randy Foye hit 3-pointers to pull the Nuggets within 10 and Denver started fouling Jordan.

Jordan was 7-for-16 from the line in the fourth quarter but Denver didn't make enough shots to take advantage.

"Trust me I'm not a fan of it, but it's a rule that you can use and we felt that we had a better chance of fouling him than allowing them to take a shot," Malone said.

Malone picked up a technical foul when he had a verbal exchange with Griffin over continuously fouling Jordan and then got heated with his point guard, Emmanuel Mudiay, when he took him out late in the game.

Mudiay said everything is fine with his coach.

"It's my fault, I could have been doing more out there so I put the blame on myself," said Mudiay, who finished with seven points, four assists and three turnovers. "I have nothing against coach, I respect him and he is a great person. We both want to win, he is just trying to challenge me and I accept it."

Jordan, who finished with four blocked shots, put an exclamation point on his night when he slammed home a pass from Paul that made it 110-93.

Griffin reached double figures in rebounds for the first time in seven games.

Gallinari 11 points and 10 rebounds by halftime but Paul's 12 points and five assists helped the Clippers take a 51-45 lead at the break.

NOTES: Denver F Kenneth Faried missed his second straight game with a left ankle sprain. Faried was in a walking boot Tuesday morning and didn't go through the team's shootaround. ... The Clippers were one game below .500 entering Tuesday's game. The only other time they were under .500 during coach Doc Rivers' two-plus seasons was after his first game with the team. ... Nuggets C Joffrey Lauvergne has started running but continues to sit with a lower back strain. He is expected to have a bigger role in practice Wednesday with the hopes of returning soon. ... The Clippers rank 29th in 3-point percentage and 26th in rebounding.