NBA Betting – Denver Nuggets at Los Angeles Clippers

The Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Clippers are trying to track down the Lakers. They first must get through each other in a mammoth game between two top teams in the Western Conference. Denver has a one-game bulge over the Clips and is just five games back of LeBron and Co. Following a recent three-game slide spanning the All-Star break, the Clippers have won their last two. And while they’re trying to climb to the top of the West, Denver and LA better watch out below with four other clubs waiting to move up.  Claim Your Welcome Bonus - Maximum $1000

Denver Nuggets at Los Angeles Clippers

Date and Time: Friday, February 28, 2020, 10:30 p.m. ET

Location: Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA

Friday Morning Line: Clippers -6 (live odds here)

Nuggets at Clippers TV Coverage: ESPN

Odds Analysis

The Nuggets have been hanging around the top of the conference all season thanks to consistent play. They lost two games in a row for the first time since early December sandwiching the All-Star break, and their longest skid of the season is three games. They responded to that recent slump with a pair of double-digit victories heading into Friday’s contest. The Nuggets are 40-18 SU and 27-27-4 ATS on the season with a 17-11 SU and 14-13-1 ATS record on the road. The Clips stopped a three-game slide with a 27-point win over Memphis and bring their own two-game winning streak into Friday’s encounter after putting down the Suns on Wednesday. They are 8-2 in their last 10 home games with both losses to Sacramento, strangely enough.

Denver Nuggets

The Nuggets were the second-best team in the Western Conference last season so it isn’t a complete surprise to see them near the top again. That they are where they are is surprising considering the injuries the team has dealt with. The good thing about injuries is that they heal, and the Nuggets are getting bodies back which will allow them to at least keep the Lakers and all pursuers honest if not pose a serious challenge over the final weeks of the regular season.

For the first time in a while the Nuggets had a clean bill of health and they swarmed the Pistons, 115-98, on Tuesday. With weapons back in place Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray won’t have to shoulder the load. Jerami Grant did that against Detroit scoring 29 points as reserves accounted for 60 points. It was just lowly 19-win Detroit, but considering the Pistons pulled off the upset over Denver a few weeks ago, it was a big deal.

With depth and a bench to rival that of the Clippers, we should have an interesting game on Friday. The Nuggets will look to their stars to be their best players, though. Jokic has started every game and should get votes for MVP with the season he’s having. He scores nearly 21 points per game with 10.0 boards and 6.8 assists as the team’s triple-crown leader. And Murray has been dynamite since returning from an ankle injury earlier this month averaging 25.1 points while shooting 55 percent from the field.

Los Angeles Clippers

There won’t be any excuses in this matchup. Just like Denver, the Clips are getting bodies back in the lineup. And just like Denver the Clips showed how lethal they can be when the gang’s all together. With their entire roster available for only the fifth game this season, the Clippers annihilated Memphis 124-97 on Monday jumping out to a 35-9 lead late in the first quarter. “This is what we talked about. This is what we dreamed of when this all came together. This is the squad and the team that we thought we would be,” Paul George said.

Injuries and the recent additions of Marcus Morris Sr. and Reggie Jackson prompted Doc Rivers to use his league-high 29th different staring lineup. That hasn’t done anything for chemistry on the squad and it’s showed at various times. Still, with all the movement the Clippers find themselves third in the conference and they can catch the Nuggets with a win on Friday.

The Clippers will need to flip the script to get the victory. A 114-104 loss in Denver earlier this season was LA’s third straight in the series and fifth in six games. One of the best benches in the NBA got stronger with the recent acquisitions and a return to health for George and Patrick Beverley. Morris and Jackson hit crucial buckets in the win over Phoenix on Monday.

Bet Nuggets at Clippers at BookMaker.eu

Playing defense has become a lost art in the NBA. The Clippers have two of the better defenders in the league in Leonard and Beverley, and they’ve held their last two opponents under 100 points. The last three meetings have all played below the closing total and it looks like this one is headed that direction.

NBA Score Prediction: Los Angeles 112, Denver 105

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- Phil Simon, Gambling911.com