The Denver Nuggets’ playoff momentum expired 12 minutes into the second round.

“For whatever reason, we didn’t hold that physicality and energy for the rest of the game,” Nuggets forward Paul Millsap said.

A lack of energy would be understandable, as the Los Angeles Clippers played their most recent game on Sunday. The Nuggets played an intense Game 7 against the Utah Jazz on Tuesday and didn’t get back to their hotel rooms until after midnight Wednesday, according to coach Michael Malone.

The Nuggets, seeded third in the Western Conference, played the second-seeded Clippers to a draw through the first quarter of Game 1 of their conference semifinal series Thursday in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., before seemingly running out of gas in a 120-97 loss.

“The first quarter was great because I liked the pace with which we played with on offense,” Denver coach Michael Malone said. “The ball was moving. We were making plays for each other, and I felt as they started building a lead and getting away, we resorted to zero-pass possessions (or) one pass. We settled for so many 3s.”

Kawhi Leonard cruised to a 29-point night, making 12 of 16 shots from the field for the Clippers, while Paul George added 19.

Nikola Jokic, who said he personally felt no fatigue, led Denver’s balanced scoring distribution with 15 points. Paul Millsap added 13, while Jamal Murray, Monte Morris and Jerami Grant scored 12 points apiece.

“They were aggressive,” Jokic said. “We didn’t go to our spots. Our spacing was not good. We didn’t make shots. We were kind of rushing the shots. You can say whatever and it’s going to be true. It was a bad, bad night for us.”

Gary Harris made his return to Denver’s starting five and opened the scoring with a bucket a minute into the action. The Nuggets would lead by six in the first quarter, which ended with the teams tied at 31. Grant hit his first three attempts from 3-point range and led the Nuggets with 11 points in the first quarter.

From there, however, it was all Leonard and Los Angeles.

The Clippers opened up the game after a 38-20 advantage over the course of the second quarter, leading 69-51 at halftime. Leonard scored seven straight Los Angeles points midway through the quarter, helping the Clippers open up a 10-point advantage. Leonard led all scorers at halftime with 19 points.

“We can’t try to play one-on-one against a Paul George, a Kawhi Leonard, and a Patrick Beverley,” Malone said. “They’re too good.”

The Nuggets only scored 16 points in the third quarter, and the Clippers extended their lead to 24 at the start of the fourth. Both teams’ reserves handled a majority of the final quarter, allowing the starters to gear up for Game 2. Bol Bol provided the best entertainment for Nuggets fans since the first quarter when the rarely used rookie got some late playing time, blocking a shot and hitting a pull-up 3-pointer.

Reggie Jackson, a Clippers reserve and Palmer High School product, played 13 minutes and failed to score in the win.

The Nuggets will have a chance to even the series in Game 2, scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday night.

“It’s the cards that we’re dealt, going seven games in our series,” Millsap said. “That’s what we’ve got to deal with. Somehow we’ve got to figure it out. We’ve got to get our legs back under us. We’ve got to get guys rested, and we gotta come out with better energy next game.”