Clippers defeat Denver Nuggets, 112-91

The Clippers made this one look easy most of the time.

Even when the Clippers seemed to ease up and watch their leads shrink, they just put it back in gear and kept right on rolling toward a 112-91 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Saturday night at Staples Center.

The Clippers got their season-high fourth consecutive victory because of Jamal Crawford’s 27 game-high points, Blake Griffin’s double-double of 24 points and 16 rebounds and Chris Paul’s double-double of 10 points and 11 assists.

BOX SCORE: Clippers 112, Denver 91

The Clippers were strong on defense, holding the Nuggets to 35.2% shooting for the game and 29.2% shooting in the first half, both season lows for a Los Angeles opponent.

The Clippers have held each of their opponents below 100 points during this winning stretch.

They built a lead as high as 23 points before waltzing in for a victory over a Nuggets team playing consecutive games.

It didn’t help the Nuggets that their high-energy power forward, Kenneth Faried, was lost in the first quarter after he rolled his left ankle.

Without Faried, the Clippers’ frontline dominated, seemingly in every way possible.

There was the time when J.J. Hickson went up for a two-handed dunk but had it blocked by Griffin.

Hickson got the rebound and went back up, but DeAndre Jordan blocked that shot attempt as well.

There was also the moment when Griffin seemed to be clowning the Nuggets, going behind his back three times and then spinning away from a defender before he was fouled.

Griffin’s teammates all smiled at him before he shot the free throw, which brought a smile to Griffin’s face as well.

And there was the wild, heaving shot Darren Collison made off a Nuggets turnover with a second left that gave the Clippers a 13-point halftime lead.

That was the kind of night and game the Clippers were having against the Nuggets.

And even when the Nuggets attempted to rally just a little by closing to within six points in the third, the Clippers simply just pulled away.

They opened a 79-60 lead at the end of the third behind 11 points from Crawford in the quarter.

Etc.

It has been a tough season for Matt Barnes, but he finally played in a game Saturday night against Denver.

Barnes had been out the last 16 games recovering from left eye surgery to repair a torn retina, missing almost a month of playing time. He was forced to wear goggles to protect his eye.

Even before that injury, Barnes had played in just eight games this season because he had been out with a bruised right thigh.

“He needs a block of games, like a 20 block of games, to play in a row so he can kind of get healthy and get his rhythm,” Clippers Coach Doc Rivers said.

Barnes had 13 points.

broderick.turner@latimes.com

Twitter: @BA_Turner