Two days after completing a dramatic first-round comeback against Utah, the Nuggets start a new series against the rested Clippers. LA won two of three meetings between the teams this year, with its lone loss coming with Paul George out of the lineup. The Clippers opened as 6-point favorites in Game 1.
- Date/Time: September 3, 9 p.m. ET
- Arena: The Arena (WWOS)
- TV Coverage: TNT
- Sportsbook Odds: Clippers -6 | O/U 223 (Line History)
- Nuggets vs Clippers Matchup Report
Sportsbook Odds Analysis
When these two teams met three weeks ago in the seeding round, LA won 124-111 to easily cover as 5.5-point chalk. Oddsmakers opened the Clippers as slightly higher favorites this time but should have adjusted more in the eyes of early bettors. As of Wednesday night, most books had moved LA up to 8.5-point favorites.
Denver News & Notes
Jamal Murray and the Nuggets’ offense has keyed Denver’s success in the bubble, evident by the fact that the Nuggets have gone OVER in 13 of their 15 games in Orlando. But Denver proved Tuesday that it can still get the job done in a different way, riding Nikola Jokic and a stout defensive effort to an 80-78 win over Utah that completed Denver’s rally from a 3-1 series deficit.
With Murray finally cooling off after scoring 142 points in his previous three games, it was Jokic who provided the winning bucket with 28 seconds left in regulation. The 25-year-old center finished with 30 points and 14 rebounds — his first double-double in six games, although he did score 28 points or more in five of the series’ seven contests.
Meanwhile, after allowing 124 points or more in the first four games of the series, Denver limited the Jazz to 107 or fewer in each of the final three. Gary Harris, who missed the Nuggets’ first 13 bubble games due to a hip injury, came up with a huge strip of Utah’s Donovan Mitchell with eight seconds left in regulation on Tuesday.
Los Angeles News & Notes
LA enjoys a distinct rest advantage going into Game 1, having not played since Sunday’s 111-97 win over Dallas that gave the Clips a 4-2 series win in the Sportsbook round.
Head coach Doc Rivers has made the most of extra time to prepare, leading the Clippers to a 22-8-1 ATS record in their last 31 outings with three days of rest or more. If Rivers needed to address anything over the past few days, it might have been his team’s tendency to start games slowly. LA trailed the Mavs 34-29 after the first quarter on Sunday to drop to 3-10-1 ATS in the Sportsbook frame since the restart.
Kawhi Leonard’s scoring touch doesn’t need any fine-tuning after the two-time Finals MVP averaged 32.8 points per game in Round 1. However, George came back down to earth on Sunday, missing 13 of his 19 field-goal attempts two days after going off for 35 points in 25 minutes of Game 5. George has missed at least two-thirds of his shots in four of his last five games.
Like Denver, LA has done most of its damage in the bubble with the offense, going OVER in 10 of its last 14 games. That trend might change quickly if Patrick Beverley returns from the strained calf that caused him to miss the entire first round. Rivers told reporters that the two-time NBA All-Defensive Team member might be in the lineup on Thursday.
Betting Pick: Clippers -8.5
We’re obviously not getting as good a number now as when this line opened, but I don’t think it’s going to matter. Denver seems primed for an emotional letdown following its huge comeback against Utah, and LA should bring full focus after three days to prepare.
- The OVER is 13-2 in Denver’s 15 games in the bubble.
- The Clippers are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games.
- The Clippers are 22-8-1 ATS in their last 31 games on 3 days of rest or more.
