Nuggets vs. Clippers prediction and odds for Friday, January 13th
By Josh Yourish
The Denver Nuggets have won four straight, including taking down the depleted Phoenix Suns on Wednesday, 126-97. That win lifted them to 28-13 and atop the Western Conference standings.
Not only are they on a roll, but so is Nikola Jokic, who looks headed toward a third straight MVP award. Jokic and the Nuggets began this win streak against the Clippers on January 5, when the Clippers actually had a full lineup.
Tonight LA won’t have their full complement. Paul George is out with a hamstring injury as the Clippers continue their three-year streak of being the “if they’re healthy watch out” team. Only they never seem to be healthy and Denver has been this season, so should the Nuggets be underdogs on the road to the 22-21 Clippers? Let’s get into the odds.
Nuggets vs. Clippers odds, spread and total
Nuggets vs. Clippers prediction and pick
A few games ago when the Nuggets took down LA, Jokic finished the night with 21, 18 and 9 line. With the way his season is going, any combination of points, rebounds and assists would make sense.
For that game, it was 21 points, 18 rebounds and nine dimes. The game before against the Lakers, he had 14 points, 11 rebounds and 16 assists. Simply put, Jokic’s the most dominant player in the NBA and the focal point of the most interesting offense in the NBA. Not only are they interesting, but they’re No. 1 in offensive rating. The defense has been the concern for this team.
The Nuggets are 20th in defensive rating for the year, but over their last 10 games, they have a defensive rating of 112.0, which is seventh in the NBA over that stretch. Kawhi Leanard was able to carry the Clippers against Dallas earlier this week with 33 points and nine rebounds, but he is far from his prime athletically and won’t be able to go toe-to-toe with Jokic the way he could have a few years ago.
The best team in the West is an underdog. Don’t overthink this.
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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change