Clippers vs Nuggets NBA Handicapping
Props to Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro, who knew what he would be facing tonight when LA took the court against the Bucks last night.
Los Angeles Clippers (44-19) at Denver Nuggets (26-3)
Thursday, March 7
Pepsi Center, Denver
10:30 p.m. EST
Spread – Nuggets -4 at BetOnline
Total – 213.5
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Traveling to Denver for the second game of a back-to-back is no fun, so Del Negro made sure Chris Paul and Blake Griffin got enough rest. Keeping Paul and Griffin beside him on the bench (they each played only 32 minutes) forced the other Clippers to play extended minutes. It took more time than expected to take care of the Bucks, but it gave LA a better shot at beating the Nuggets tonight.
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And beating the Nuggets in Denver is no small feat these days. They aren’t the crazy Nuggets of Paul Westhead lore, but they are a deep team that loves to run the court, and everyone touches the ball. George Karl is more than willing to give up points (101.8 a game) because he knows that the Nuggets’ depth enables them to pull away from teams in second halves of games.
While the Heat have been sucking all the oxygen out of the media air, Denver has been quietly going about its business in the Western Conference. The Nuggets have won 15 of their last 19, including 11 straight at home. They have lost just three times this season at the Pepsi Center. They run (2nd in the NBA in forcing turnovers) and run (first in fast-break points), basically waiting until their opponents decide they can’t do it anymore. [ad-6571516]
Denver’s mediocre start to the season will prevent the Nuggets from stealing one of the top three seeds in the Western Conference playoffs, so the only real issues over the final few weeks of the season are staying healthy and trying to catch Memphis for the No. 4 slot, which would give the Nuggets a prospective deciding game at home in a series against the Grizzlies.
If the Clippers don’t have enough on their minds tonight, they will have to deal with emerging Denver stars Ty Lawson and Wilson Chandler. Lawson is averaging better than 20 ppg and is at 7.5 assists a game over the last 24. Chandler, a 6-foot-8 forward forward, has been inconsistent at times but opened eyes across the league when he went off for 23 against the Lakers and followed that up with 35 in Denver’s recent win over the Thunder.
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The Clippers are a decent (20-12) road team, but playing in Denver is not like a trip to Phoenix. It’s hard to imagine that the Clippers will be able to stick with the Nuggets for 48 minutes. Any wager on the LA should be limited to the first half. Denver figures to own the third and fourth periods, and should get a cover at home.
