Denver Nuggets vs. Los Angeles Clippers Predictions, Picks, Odds

Nationally televised NBA coverage will resume on Tuesday night with a compelling Western Conference matchup between the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Clippers. Coverage begins from Staples Center at 10:30 p.m. ET on NBA TV.

SCORE PREDICTION

Nuggets 108, Clippers 104

BEST BETS

Nuggets -1.5 (-110) at DraftKings

DENVER NUGGETS VS. LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS PREDICTIONS

After finishing third in the West with a record of 47-25 SU last year, Denver kept that same train moving forward with another excellent start to this season, as the Nuggets opened with a solid 9-4 SU and 7-6 ATS run – which included impressive upset victories over the Suns, Jazz, Grizzlies, and Heat.

The Nuggets have looked like a shell of that squad since their opening stretch though, considering Denver is just 11-14 SU and 9-16 ATS across the last 25 games – with ten of those SU losses coming by a double-digit margin.

On the other hand, Los Angeles barreled out to a decent start to the season, as the Clippers kicked things off with a pedestrian 17-15 SU and 14-18 ATS run – positioning themselves comfortably within playoff contention as the halfway mark approaches.

L. A. has completely fallen apart since Paul George’s latest injury though, considering the Clippers are just 3-6 SU and 4-5 ATS in their last nine games – while averaging 103.8 PPG offensively and surrendering 109.4 PPG defensively across that timeframe.

I’ll take the under here, as both of these teams have struggled offensively as of late, with the Nuggets averaging just 103.9 PPG across their latest nine-game stretch – and the Clippers averaging a near-identical 103.8 PPG during that same timeframe.

DENVER NUGGETS VS. LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS BETTING ODDS

More Odds | Futures Odds

DENVER NUGGETS VS. LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS BETTING RESOURCES

• Matchup: Northwest vs. Pacific
• Date: Tuesday, January 11, 2022
• Venue: Crypto.com Arena
• Location: Los Angeles, California
• TV-Time: NBATV - 10:30 p.m. ET
• Injury Report

DENVER NUGGETS BETTING ANALYSIS

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

• SU: 20-18
• ATS: 16-22
• O/U: 19-19

Despite the year-long absence of Jamal Murray, Denver has played solid basketball so far this season, as the Nuggets currently hover at 6th place in the West with a record of 20-18 SU – pacing the Clippers, Lakers, and Timberwolves all by less than two games.

Denver always wields the ability to keep things competitive as long as Nikola Jokic is leading the charge, but clearly, we should expect far less when additional pieces are absent such as Michael Porter Jr., Austin Rivers, and P.J. Dozier – highlighted by the Nuggets averaging just 103.9 PPG across their latest 5-4 and 3-6 ATS skid.

LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS BETTING ANALYSIS

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

• SU: 20-21
• ATS: 18-23
• O/U: 18-23

Most people lost faith in L. A. after Kawhi Leonard’s devastating knee injury last year – but it turns out, the Clippers still stand as a solid team without him, considering they decisively handled business against Utah for the remainder of that series, and then went toe-to-toe with Phoenix for the length of a competitive six-game conference final set.

DENVER NUGGETS VS. LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS HEAD-TO-HEAD

The Nuggets won two-of-three regular-season matchups against the Clippers last year, with the first of those contests soaring over the total at a score of 121-108 – while the following two events stayed under with an average of 204.5 PPG.

The most recent matchup between these teams took place just a couple of weeks ago though, and resulted in another low-scoring battle in favor of the Nuggets (103-100).

KEY PLAYERS TO WATCH

• DEN: Nikola Jokic - C (25.8 PPG, 14.2 REB, 7 AST)
• DEN: Will Barton - 15.1 PPG, 4.9 REB, 4.2 AST)
• LAC: Reggie Jackson - PG (16.8 PPG, 3.4 REB, 3.9 AST)
• LAC: Marcus Morris - PF (16.4 PPG, 5.2 REB, 2.2 AST)

DENVER NUGGETS VS. LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS BETTING CONCLUSION

After snapping a three-game losing streak with a win over the Hawks on Sunday night (W, 106-93), the Clippers enter Tuesday’s contest as narrow home underdogs against the visiting Nuggets – marking the ninth time L. A. has been an underdog across the last ten games.

I’ll take the under here, as I expect to see a low-scoring battle between two squads that are both averaging less than 104 PPG across their latest ten-game stretch.

DENVER NUGGETS VS. LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS BETTING TRENDS

• The Nuggets are 5-2 ATS in their last seven matchups against the Clippers.
• The total has gone UNDER in five of the last six matchups between the Nuggets and Clippers.
• The Nuggets are 3-6 ATS in their last nine games.
• The Clippers are 2-4 ATS in their last six games.