Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA – Photo by Icon sport
Denver Nuggets vs Los Angeles Clippers: Is this a Western Conference Final preview?
The Denver Nuggets are visiting the Los Angeles Clippers at crypto.com Arena on Thursday.
The Nuggets are close to the top of the conference
The Denver Nuggets are second in the Eastern Conference with a 53-23 record. They have won six of the last eight games and are coming off a 110-105 win over the San Antonio Spurs. The Nuggets are third in the league with 29.3 assists per game, fifth with 49.4% shooting from the field, and the team with the fewest three-point attempts per game with 30.9. Nikola Jokic is the frontrunner in the MVP race, averaging 26.4 points, 12.3 rebounds, and 9 assists per game.
Are the Clippers a real contender?
The Los Angeles Clippers are fourth in the Western Conference with a 47-28 record. After winning three consecutive games, they lost 109–95 to the Sacramento Kings. The Clippers are third in the league, shooting 38.7% from three-point territory, fourth with 82.1% shooting from the free-throw line, and 12th with an average of 112 points per game. Kawhi Leonard is the leading scorer on the team, averaging 23.7 points per game.
Betting Trends
The Nuggets have won 8 of the last 9 games against the Clippers. Denver is 16-4 SU in the last 20 games overall, 7-1 SU in the last 8 games on the road and 7-1 SU in the last 8 games played in April. The Clippers are 0-5 SU in the last five games played in April and 5-10 SU in the last 15 games played on Thursday.
Prediction and Conclusion
There is a huge rivalry between these two teams after their playoff battle in 2020, when the Nuggets managed to come back from 3-1 down and win the series in seven games. Denver was on an eight-game winning streak against the Clippers before LA won the last one 111-102. Both teams have a lot of motive for the rest of the regular season, as the Nuggets are very close to the top of the conference while the Clippers are trying to get in a situation to have the home court advantage in the first round. This will definitely be a tight one, and Nikola Jokic will prove once again why he is the MVP of the league, leading the Nuggets to the win.
