Nuggets vs. Clippers: Game preview
Before leaving on a 3 game road trip, the Nuggets look to get back on track vs. the Clippers on Tuesday night
Coming off a disappointing performance vs. the scorching Houston Rockets; Denver needs to get back to its winning ways against the Clippers on Tuesday night. With just 22 games remaining in the regular season and a mere 4.5 games separating the 3rd through 10th seed in the Western Conference; the Nuggets can ill-afford to let a home game vs a conference opponent slip away.
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The Clippers come into Denver on four days rest; and are just a game back of Denver and the 8th seed. As cliché as it sounds; this is a must win game for Denver. This is the type of game playoff teams win. When a team that’s chasing you in the standings comes into your house at the end of the season; good teams make a statement.
The Clippers aren’t ready to lay down and die. Inconceivably the Clippers have been a better team since shipping off their lone “superstar” Blake Griffin. The surprisingly consistent play of Lou Williams and DeAndre Jordan has not only kept the Clippers in the playoff mix; they’ve gained ground on teams like Denver in the standings. Tobias Harris has looked like an all-star since arriving in L.A., Harris has the ability to score from the post or from behind the arc. Tuesday night also marks the return of Danilo Gallinari to Denver. Gallo will want to come out firing and would love to put up good numbers in a winning effort vs. his old team.
Denver will need to start fast and dominate the boards. They have to establish their pace of play and get their young back court involved in the scoring early. Gary Harris’ defense vs. Lou Williams will dictate the outcome of this game.
Good news could be on the horizon for Denver. Forward Paul Millsap has been listed as questionable for Tuesday night’s game. This means he is a game time decision and could return to action for the first time since injuring his hand in November. At a minimum the questionable tag signifies that Millsap is close to returning. In a prime time home game, it would be great for Denver to get its prime time player back in action.