Comeback Clippers Seek Stranglehold On Nuggets

Slow starts have plagued the Clippers in the bubble, but it hasn’t prevented them from moving within two wins of the Western Conference final. After rallying for a six-point win in Game 3, Los Angeles opened as a 7.5-point favorite to take a 3-1 series lead on Wednesday.

Sportsbook Odds Analysis

After seeing the Nuggets cover the spread as 9-point underdogs in each of the last two games, oddsmakers opened Denver just +7.5 in Game 4. That number was quickly bet up to +8 by Clippers backers. The total landed on 220 on Monday and that’s where books opened the number for Wednesday, four points lower than in Games 1 and 2.

Los Angeles News & Notes

Transition scoring keyed the Clippers’ rally from a seven-point fourth-quarter deficit in Game 3. Ten of LA’s 29 points in the final frame came off the fast break as the Clippers finished the contest with 30 points in transition.

Late rallies like that might not be necessary if LA can figure out the first-quarter woes that have plagued the team in the bubble. The Clippers allowed 32 points in the Sportsbook 12 minutes and are now allowing Denver to shoot 62.3 percent from the field — including 50 percent from long range — in first quarters this series. Going back to the seeding round, LA is now 3-13-1 ATS in the Sportsbook quarter, while Denver is 11-7.

Paul George is coming off his biggest game of the series, scoring 32 points on 12-of-18 shooting Monday after missing 19 of 32 shots in the first two games. Head coach Doc Rivers was more pleased with George’s defense, however, after the guard helped hold Denver’s Jamal Murray to 5-for-17 shooting from the field.

Denver News & Notes

The Nuggets’ penchant for playing high-scoring first halves in the bubble continued Monday as Denver led 59-57 at the break, going OVER the first-half total for the 12th time in its last 18 games.

However, the Nuggets’ offense has struggled in the second half of its last four games, averaging less than 41 points in the final 24 minutes. Denver missed 15 of its final 22 shots from the field Monday and went 1-for-9 from behind the arc in the fourth quarter.

Nikola Jokic showed no ill effects of the right wrist sprain that made him a game-time decision in Game 3, scoring 32 points and finishing two assists shy of a playoff triple-double. Murray, however, was held to just 14 points and has cooled off considerably since averaging 47.3 points per game over a three-game stretch last series against Utah. In his last four outings, Murray is averaging 17.5 points per game.