Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA

Los Angeles Clippers vs Denver Nuggets: Both teams lost the season openers

The Denver Nuggets are hosting the Los Angeles Clippers today at Ball Arena on Saturday.

Is this finally the year for the Clippers?

The Los Angeles Clippers lost the season opener 116-113 in overtime to the Phoenix Suns. The Clippers shot only 27.6% from three-point territory and 45.7% from the field. James Harden was the best player on the team with 29 points, 12 rebounds and 8 assists while Ivica Zubac finished with 21 points and 9 rebounds.

Can the Nuggets get back to the finals?

The Denver Nuggets started the season with a home loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder by 102-87. They went down in the opening quarter and could not regroup by the end of the game. They had poor shooting percentages of 42.6 from the field and 22.2 from deep. Nikola Jokic started the season with a triple-double of 16 points, 12 rebounds and 13 assists.

Betting Trends

Last season, the Denver Nuggets were a strong team when favored, winning 73.6% of games when expected to come out on top. When listed as a moneyline favorite with odds of -391 or shorter, they went 24-3, showing their dominance in these situations. On the other hand, the Los Angeles Clippers struggled as underdogs, winning only five out of 18 games when not favored. Specifically, in the one game they faced odds of +307 or higher, they ended up losing. This Saturday, Denver’s implied point total sits 2.5 points below their season average, despite scoring more than 114 points in 44 games last year. Meanwhile, the Clippers’ average implied point total last season was 117.2 points—11.2 points higher than the 106-point total projected for this matchup.

Prediction and Conclusion

Both the Nuggets and the Clippers look pretty different this season, but their goals remain the same. The Nuggets brought in Russell Westbrook from the Clippers, who, besides the former MVP, are missing Paul George, who signed with the Sixers, and Kawhi Leonard, who was on the injury list at the beginning of the season. The Nuggets played very poorly in the home opener, and knowing that they barely lose at home, it will be pretty strange to see them lose the first two games of the season. Jokic, Jamal Murray, and Michael Porter Jr. will step up and lead the Nuggets to a win, covering the -8.5-point spread.