LA CLIPPERS VS DENVER NUGGETS
Greeting basketball fans. Welcome back to our weekly NBA coverage here at Latest Basketball News. One of the games on tap for Tuesday night features the Indiana Pacers taking on the Philadelphia 76ers.
Here is a look at which team has the edge going into the matchup and why.
Tipoff
- When: Tuesday, November 14, 2023 at 10:00 PM EST
- Where: Ball Arena, Denver, CO
- TV: TNT & Altitude Sports
LA Clippers vs. Denver Nuggets Odds (via DraftKings)
LA Clippers vs. Denver Nuggets – In-Season Stats & Betting Trends
LA Clippers Hoping To Snap Early-Season Slump
Early on, things looked promising for the LA Clippers. With Kawhi Leonard and Paul George back in the rotation, they won three of their first four games. The team’s early success has faded fast, though. Since that hot start, the Clippers have posted losses in each of their last five games. Their recent 105-101 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies took place on Friday night. While no loss is a desirable one, this was even worse because the Grizzlies are missing their top scorer – Ja Morant – who has been suspended for the first five games of the season. Not only that, but the team is 0-4 since acquiring James Harden from the Philadelphia 76ers.
Defending Champs Looking To Get Back On Track Following Loss To Rockets
On the other side of this matchup, the Denver Nuggets have gotten off to a solid start, already having produced two four-game winning streak. The Nuggets saw their second four-game winning streak come to an end with the 107-104 loss to the Houston Rockets on Sunday night. Nikola Jokic scored a game-high 36 points on 13-for-26 shooting from the floor. He also added 21 rebounds and 11 assists. Michael Porter Jr. contributed 25 points and 10 rebounds.
The Nuggets have the sixth-best offensive and defensive rating. Not only that, but they also boast the fourth-best scoring defense in the NBA, giving up 106.1 points per contest. On paper at least, it appears the Clippers could be in trouble in this one.
The Picks
The Spread
The Nuggets are a six-point favorite and with the Clippers’ recent losing streak, it is surprising that the point spread is not a bit higher. Below are a few trends that suggest why picking the Nuggets to cover the spread is a safe play.
- The Clippers are 0-5 ATS in their last five games overall
- LA is also 0-5 ATS in its last five matchups against the Nuggets
- In their last five contests against Western Conference opponents, the Clippers art 1-4 ATS.
- LA is 0-6 ATS in its last six November games.
- Meanwhile, Denver is 7-3 against the spread in its last 10 games that were played in November.
Prediction: Nuggets (-6.6)
Over/Under
The projected over/under for this contest is 223.5 (via DraftKings). Here are a few reasons why the UNDER may be the way to go here.
- The Clippers’ over/under record is barely .500 at 4-4-1.
- The Nuggets are even worse with an O/U record of 3-7.
- In Denver’s last 13 contests, the UNDER total has hit 10 times.
- The UNDER total cashed in eight times in Denver’s last 10 games against Western Conference teams.
- In the Nuggets last five matchups against the Pacific Division teams, the UNDER is 4-1.
- Lastly, the UNDER total is 13-5 in the last 18 matchups between these two ball clubs.
Prediction: UNDER 223.5 total points
Player Prop Bets
My first key player to watch in this Western Conference matchup is Nikola Jokic. He currently has -110 odds of scoring more than 31.5 and -115 odds of finishing with less than the projected scoring total.
This one is tough to call due to the conflicting trends. Jokic has played against the LA Clippers 27 times in his career. He is averaging 20.7 points per contest during that stretch. That per-game average is noticeably lower than his projected scoring total.
Additionally, in three regular-season matchups against the Clippers last season, he averaged 23.7 points per outing. Again, this total is also lower than the project scoring total. On the flip side of the narrative, however, Jokic has scored at least 32 points in four of his previous five outings.
I believe his recent span of games, combined with the Clippers struggling to find an identity, I believe there is a good chance for Jokic to exceed the 31.5-point threshold, barring a blowout for the home team, of course.
Prediction: Nikola Jokic OVER 31.5 points
My second key player to watch is Paul George. He currently has +100 odds of scoring more than 22.5 points and -125 odds of finishing with less than 22.5 points.
During his career, PG13 has suited up against the Nuggets 33 times. He is averaging 19.9 points per contest during that stretch. This includes a 21.3 PPG average in 2021-22 and a 13.0 PPG average last season.
This season, George is averaging 23.6 points per contest, and he has scored 23-plus points six times across his last nine outings. With that in mind, I expect George’s hot streak to continue against the Nuggets.
Prediction: Paul George OVER 22.5 points
James’s Picks
- Spread: Nuggets (-6.6)
- Over/Under: UNDER 223.5 points
- Player Prop Bet #1: Nikola Jokic OVER 31.5 points
- Player Prop Bet #2: Paul George OVER 22.5 points
