Editor’s Note: C Nikola Jokic (knee) plans to return for tonight’s game vs. the Clippers.
The 32-16 Denver Nuggets will host the 22-24 LA Clippers in a Western Conference showdown tonight. The Clippers have been absolutely scorching hot as of late, completely turning their season around after a disastrous start. They’re 9-1 in their last ten games, while the Nuggets are 7-3.
The Clippers are currently –218 favorites on the Moneyline at DraftKings Sportsbook, with the point total set to 209.5. Below, I’ll break down tonight’s matchup and offer my prediction.
Denver Nuggets vs. Los Angeles Clippers preview, prediction
The Nuggets have been having an excellent season, finding tons of production from Jamal Murray’s career year to supplement Peyton Watson’s breakout season, which was catalyzed by injuries to Aaron Gordon, Cameron Johnson, and Christian Braun. It’s rare for a team to be missing so many starters to stay afloat. Nikola Jokic has to be pleased by what he’s seeing. If Denver can get this type of production and get all these wins without him, that bodes quite well for their postseason chances.
The LA Clippers started their season slowly, but are on a rampage as of late. They’ve dropped only three losses amidst their last 19 games. Much of this can be attributed to the stellar play of star forward Kawhi Leonard, who’s looked revitalized this season and has managed to put up a career-high 27.9 PPG with his usual pristine percentages. James Harden has also been excellent, with 25.4 PPG of his own, which he hasn’t touched since 2019-2020. It’s also nice seeing some signs of life from John Collins, whose first year on the Clippers started slowly, but has since picked it up. Collins has gone five straight games with double-digit scoring, and while he won’t have the type of usage available to touch his Utah Jazz upside, he’s still a stretch-4 who’s a nice complement next to the playmaking ability of Harden.
The Nuggets and the Clippers have faced off just one other time this season, on November 12th. The Nuggets handily won that game 130-116, due to a comical 55 point, 12 rebound double-double from Nikola Jokic, who shot 18-23 from the field that night. It’s also worth noting that Kawhi Leonard did not play in that game. Tonight, Kawhi Leonard is Questionable but should be able to suit up as he’s shed his last two Questionable tags to play anyway. Nikola Jokic is not yet back from his extended injury absence.
Nuggets vs. Clippers pick, best bet
Best bet: Los Angeles Clippers Moneyline -218
Due to the Nuggets’ reliance on Nikola Jokic during their first matchup this season, as well as the Clips missing Leonard for that contest, I’m confident in taking the Clippers’ Moneyline tonight despite having to play the Nuggets at home. The Nuggets are on the second half of a back to back set and are missing their best player, while the Clippers will be riding their second wind to try to grab a playoff spot in the West.
