The Clippers are on the warpath following an ugly stretch, and next in their scope are the Nuggets, who frustrated them in their last encounter.

HOME TEAM: LA Clippers (39-19, 23-6 at home)

The Clippers have now won back-to-back games after going 1-3 in their previous four games. In both wins, they held their opponents to under 98 points.

The defense has stepped up in the last two outings, and the Clippers appear to be in good momentum to stifle the Nuggets. That said, the offense should look to be more efficient as well. The team only shot a mediocre 44% during Sunday’s win over the Phoenix Suns, while in the loss to Denver last January 13th, Kawhi Leonard, Lou Williams, and Montrezl Harrell were the only Clippers to score in double digits – with Paul George out, the three combined for 81 points in the 114-104 defeat.

George is available for tomorrow, but has been quite horrific in his last four. He’s only averaging 8.3 points on 26.1% shooting in that span.

ROAD TEAM: Denver Nuggets (40-18, 17-11 on the road)

The Nuggets are showing fine play on offense as of late. They are winners in six of their last eight games with averages of 116.1 points per game on 52.5% shooting.

Jamal Murray is the hot man in Denver right now. His return from injury has sparked the run, and it will be put to a great test against the sturdy Clippers defense. He’s scoring 25.1 points and 6.1 assists on 55% shooting over his last eight outings. As always, Nikola Jokic (20.8 PPG, 10 RPG, 6.8 APG) will be right there with him.

One interesting note on the Nuggets’ win in the first meeting was their energy. It was on the second night of a back-to-back and on the heels of an embarrassing, morale-killing 111-103 loss to the lowly and dysfunctional Cleveland Cavaliers. It says a lot about the team and what they’ll be come playoff time.

PREDICTION:

The Nuggets put up a great fight but the motivated Clippers ultimately pull out a win, 115-110. Kawhi and the other guys will be more than ready for this rematch.