Nuggets vs. Clippers Game 1 Prediction: NBA Playoff Odds, Point Spread
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The Western Conference semifinals are set and it is primed to be a good one. We’ll have a battle between the No. 2 seeded Los Angeles Clippers and the No. 3 seeded Denver Nuggets after both endured some first-round stresses. The Clippers were able to get to the conference semis by defeating Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks in six games while the Nuggets have made it here by coming back from down 3-1 against the Utah Jazz. These two clubs have only matched up against each other three times during the regular season, with the Clippers winning two of those matchups.
NBA Point Spread and Betting Analysis
The over is 10-1 in the Nuggets last 11 games coming in as the underdog. The over is also 9-2 in their last 11 conference semifinals games. Meanwhile, the Nuggets are just 2-6 against the spread (ATS) in their last eight matchups against the Clippers.
The over is 6-1 in the Clippers past seven conference semifinals games and 4-1 in their last five games coming in as the favorite. The Clippers are also 6-2 ATS in their past games overall.
Denver Nuggets
Despite being the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference, the Nuggets were down 3-1 at one point in their series against the Jazz. Since then, they have won three straight games including an 80-78 victory in Game 7 that came down to the wire. Their star point guard Jamal Murray had also cooled off from his incredible hot streak in Game 7. He was only able to score 17 points, which was a big change considering he scored 50, 42 and 50 the three games prior. He finished the series averaging 31.6 points per game.
The Nuggets still have a lot of work to do offensively and defensively if they want a chance against this Clippers team that many have winning the NBA finals. Once again, the combination of Murray and Nikola Jokic will have to put up points in bunches if they even want a chance of winning this series. They’ll need help from the cast, though, which was hit or miss in the opening round. Look for Gary Harris to begin to find his groove offensively, as well as the possibility of Will Barton coming back from his extended absence.
Los Angeles Clippers
The Clippers are coming off two straight victories and are looking to make that streak go up to three after Game 1. They were able to take advantage of Kristaps Porzingis’ knee injury and win Game 5 and Game 6 by considerable amounts. The team shot very well across the board but who really stood out was Kawhi Leonard. He was able to average 32.8 points per game, 10.2 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 2.3 steals in the series. He was fantastic on both sides of the floor and the Clippers will really need this level of production in case Murray starts scoring 50 points a game like he did a few times in his last series.
A big difference for the Nuggets in this series is the Clippers can play stellar defense. If Murray gets going, they can put Leonard, Patrick Beverley or even Paul George on him. That’s a scary thought because if Murray slows down in any way, this will be a quick series.
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