The Denver Nuggets won the first game between them and the LA Clippers this season, but the Clippers won the second — and the most recent — one.
With both teams also coming off losses, which among them will bounce right back? Catch the game live on Thursday at 9 AM (Manila time).
HOME TEAM: Denver Nuggets (46-25, 26-10 at home)
Kyle Kuzma hurt the feelings of Nuggets fans last Tuesday with his game-winning deep ball in Denver’s 124-121 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, but not those who laid money on Nikola Jokic and crew to cover the spread. In fact, Denver spread bettors have Kuzma to thank for not letting the game go to overtime, a scenario which could have seen the Nuggets fail to beat their +5 spread.
The Nuggets rotated a lineup that went 10-man deep against the Lakers and got excellent production from PJ Dozier, who put up a team-high output of 23 points. The Nuggets made 58.4% of their field goal attempts and 56.5% (13-23) of their shots from downtown. Had the Nuggets took that game more seriously and played their key players instead of backups in the fourth quarter, Kuzma’s shot probably would not have happened.
Dozier can continue enjoying an uptick in minutes along with Michael Porter Jr. who had a ‘perfect game’ against the Lakers, by making all of his shots from the field, including three 3-pointers, with Will Barton (knee) expected to sit out the LA game.
ROAD TEAM: LA Clippers (47-23, 21-14 on the road)
After a pair of wins against playoff contenders Dallas Mavericks and Portland Trail Blazers, the Clippers ran into a wall on Monday in the form of the…Brooklyn Nets. The banged-up Nets, missing their stars and all, somehow found a way to defeat the Clippers, 129-120.
But if the Clippers wanted an excuse for that loss, they can reach for the Paul-George-didn’t-play card. The Clippers opted to rest George and instead let Kawhi Leonard do most of the work. Leonard responded well by scoring 39 points but didn’t get much from his fellow starters. Ivica Zubac, Reggie Jackson, and Landry Shamet played like a bunch of guys who braved through massive hangovers, as they combined for just 14 points — or equal to the production of rookie Terance Mann off the bench.
Despite George’s absence and the futility of some starters, the Clippers still scored more than their Disney World average of 118.3 points per game. The total even hit the over for the fourth Clippers game in a row.
PREDICTIONS:
The Clippers can’t just lose to a team like Brooklyn and put up a subpar performance in the following game. We’re taking the Clippers to win this game, 123-119.
