There have been 151 Game 7s in NBA history. Saturday’s contest between the Los Angeles Clippers and Denver Nuggets will be number 152. Of those 151, 39 of those were won by the road team. The Clippers will try and make it 40.
During the regular season, these teams split four head-to-head games, but three of those were in Denver with the Nuggets winning two of those. Kawhi Leonard did not play in any of those contest.
Through six games of this playoff series, each team has won on the other’s home court. Both teams have blown the other team out once while the other games were very close: 2, 3, 2 and 6 point margins.
Nikola Jokic has been in five Game 7s and led the Nuggets to three wins. He’s averaged 26 points, 16.6 rebounds and 7.2 assists in those games. Both James Harden and Kawhi Leonard have been in six Game 7s and led their teams to three wins.
DraftKings Sportsbook has DEN -1.5 over LAC at home with the total at 206.
As for injuries, nothing to report. Keep track of injury updates at DK Live.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Showdown $500K Game 7 Special [$100K to 1st] (LAC at DEN)
Los Angeles Clippers at Denver Nuggets
Captain’s Picks
Nikola Jokic ($20,400 CP): Jokic is uber-expensive, but there’s always the argument of him not being priced high enough. Jokic has the highest floor/ceiling combo, not only on this slate, but in the NBA. So far in this series, he’s gone over 50 FPTS in every game, with four over 60 and a high of 82.25 FPTS. Jokic has three triple-doubles this series and is always a threat to mess around every night. He also has 100-FPTS upside. The probabilities are low that he hits that, but it’s well within the range of outcomes. I was comfortably able to make a lineup with Jokic in the CPT slot, and in a Game 7 at home I think a ceiling game is more likely than a floor one.
UTIL Plays
Bogdan Bogdanovic ($2,800): Through the first three games of the series, Bogdanovic played 12, 15 and 10 minutes. In the last three games, he’s received 19, 23 and 19, putting up 15.5, 30.25 and 12.25 FPTS. He’s a veteran that doesn’t wilt under the pressure, as he’s played tons of high-intensity games both in the U.S. and internationally. Bogdanovic can get buckets and provides toughness for the Clippers. Now, there’s a chance that he goes back to playing in the low teens, but I think he’s endeared himself enough to Ty Lue that 20 minutes seems likely.
Russell Westbrook ($5,600): In the last two games, Westbrook has played 35 and 25 minutes. He’s attempted at least 10 shots in every game he’s been healthy, and will continue getting tons of open looks because the Clippers are going to keep sagging off him. The defensive stats are lacking, but Westbrook does work on the glass and can dish out some dimes. You know that he’s always going to play with intensity and he will likely be flying around like a beserker on Saturday. In four games, Westbrook has put up over 20 FPTS in all, with two over 30 FPTS.
Nicolas Batum ($4,200): Batum is a low-usage player but contributes a little something something across the board. He hits the open J and his defensive versatility keeps him on the floor. That said, the minutes have been all over the place in this series. He has two games with fewer than 20 minutes while he played 34 minutes in Game 6. That said, he’s finished with double-digit FPTS in every game, with three over 20 and a high of 32.25 FPTS.
Fades
Ivica Zubac ($9,200): I love Zubac and think he’s going to play well. I just think he’s in a weird price point. If paying up, I’d rather go up higher, but going down $1,800 to Aaron Gordon seems more enticing because I think both can finish in the same area for FPTS.
THE OUTCOME
I’m expecting another close game between these teams, but with Nikola Jokic leading the Nuggets to the next round with a gritty win at home on Saturday.
Final Score: Nuggets 109, Clippers 105
