Denver Nuggets vs. Los Angeles Clippers Predictions: NBA Playoff Picks

After watching one LA team roll the competition last night, the NBA awaits if the other squad from Los Angeles can take care of their own business tonight. We saw Denver rally from down 16 last time out, prolonging this series another game. There’s talk about if Denver can bounce back and force a game 7 – even win this series – like they did against Utah. Spoiler alert: They won’t.

Denver Nuggets vs. Los Angeles Clippers

BET: Nuggets 1Q ML @ +180

Denver should ride the momentum from last time out right away. I think you will definitely see a big push by the Nuggets in the first to try and get up big over LA. Anything to allow some breathing room after we saw the Clippers fall apart at the end of game 5. Expect Jamal Murray to continue to try and right the ship, getting much needed help from Nikola Jokic. But they really only need to start off strong, taking advantage of a Clippers team that truly looked stunned last time. LA knows the pressure is still on Denver, which could lead to the Clips easing into this game. That is enough of an opening for the Nuggets to stand with the lead after one.

We don’t need Denver to win anything more than the first quarter, which in a best-of series is all about how the last game ended. The supporting cast of the Clippers didn’t do much, especially during crunch time. I love Denver to jump out early and take the first quarter. The rest of the game might not be as easy, but this one should be gift-wrapped.

BET: Over 214.5 @ -103

Some of these totals have been hovering right around this number, making it a tiny bit more difficult to narrow down. The difference maker here is the desperation by Denver. I think Kawhi Leonard continues to push the Nuggets, as he had another huge outing last game, but it’s the other players who return with a bigger night. Expect everyone not named Leonard to simply play better. The Clippers know – not that it was any real surprise – who they are playing in the WCF, so no need to let a team hang around any longer. Denver will try and stay alive throwing everything they possibly can at LA.

It won’t matter at the end of the game from a scoring standpoint but will definitely help push the total over. We saw a blowout last night hit 215 total points, and even if the Clips start to pull away late, there’s a good chance Denver breaks the 100-point mark. Roll with the over here as both teams will be looking to establish big leads, I’d expect a lot of 3’s in this one as Denver will look to stretch the floor. The Clippers might be able to hold the Nuggets down in a quarter or two at most, but this won’t have that low-scoring feel to it, not after how LA lost the last game.