DENVER — Through two games, one thing is clear. Nothing is going to come easy in a first-round playoff series between the Clippers and the Denver Nuggets.

After ending up on the wrong side of an overtime thriller in the series opener on Saturday, the Clippers rode a 39-point effort from star forward Kawhi Leonard to a 105-102 victory in Game 2 on Monday night, swiping home-court advantage in the best-of-seven series as it shifts to Los Angeles for the next two games.

Leonard powered the Clippers across the finish line Monday, authoring a vintage performance in a game that featured 18 lead changes and 12 ties. The two-time NBA Finals MVP shot 15 for 19 from the field (4 for 7 from 3-point range) and coming up with a critical steal in the final minute.

The mid-range shooting came often for Leonard. It also came early.

Leonard, who scored 12 of his 39 (15-of-19 shooting) points in the first frame alone, and like clockwork, he got his in the midrange. Late in the frame, he backed down Nuggets guard Jamal Murray on the baseline as the Canadian flamboyantly defended. Leonard spun into help, but knocked down the 11-footer anyway, taking the air out of the Ball Arena crowd.

He only missed one shot in the first half on an efficient 9-10 (2-3 from 3). He deflated the Denver crowd again at the halftime buzzer with a ridiculous pullup 3-pointer with two defenders tightly on him.

With timely buckets down the stretch, Leonard helped keep the Clippers at arm’s reach of Denver. He also took care of the ball much better, turning it over just once compared to his seven giveaways in Game 1. As a team, the Clippers cut that number down from 20 to 11.

James Harden had 15 in the first quarter of Game 1, but was held to just two points in the early going despite finding some good looks. He found a groove with a pair of 3s in the second quarter and quietly put up a solid performance, with 18 points and seven assists on 7-17 shooting.

Of Nikola Jokic’s six first-half field goal attempts, five of them were from beyond the arc. Midway through the third quarter, his frustration started to boil over. After a Leonard bucket at the 8:07 mark, Jokic was visibly upset with teammates, then a couple of possessions later, he hooked and elbowed Ivica Zubac for an offensive foul. A few minutes later, he got to the line and missed both.

But the three-time league MVP buckled down and caught fire, finishing with one of the quieter triple doubles you’ll see. He finished with 26 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists on 9-17 shooting.

Down the stretch, it nearly became the Russell Westbrook show again in Denver against his former team. In Game 1, a late Westbrook corner 3 gave the Nuggets a lead that eventually helped push the game toward overtime. At the 7:28 mark of Game 2’s fourth quarter, he hit two in a row from the corner opposite his Game 1 moment to erase a six-point Clippers lead and finally bring out the best in Ball Arena’s crowd.

With home-court advantage, the Clippers will look to take a lead in the series on Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Intuit Dome.