Los Angeles Clippers at Denver Nuggets 12/25/20: NBA Basketball free preview, analysis, prediction, odds and pick against the spread.
2020-12-25 22:30:00 EDT
The Los Angeles Clippers will be gunning for revenge against the Denver Nuggets at the Ball Arena on Christmas Day.
The Los Angeles Clippers will be gunning for a second straight victory to start the season after taking down the Lakers in a 116-109 win on opening night. Paul George was the best player on the court as he led the team with 33 points on 13 of 18 shooting, Kawhi Leonard added 26 points on 10 of 26 shooting, while Serge Ibaka chipped in with 15 points on five of seven shooting. As a team, the Clippers shot 47 percent from the field and 14 of 40 from the 3-point line as they stormed out of the gates to take an early 20-point lead in the first quarter, before holding off the Lakers in the second half where George scored 26 of his 33 points.
Meanwhile, the Denver Nuggets are coming into this game eager to bounce back after falling to the Kings in a heartbreaking 124-122 overtime loss on Wednesday. Nikola Jokic led the team with a monster triple-double of 29 points with 15 rebounds and 14 assists, Michael Porter Jr. added 24 points on nine of 15 shooting while Paul Millsap and Will Barton each scored 16 points. As a team, the Nuggets shot 48 percent from the field and eight of 29 from the 3-point line as they worked hard to have a shot at winning the game in overtime, before Jokic turned the ball over with 2.6 seconds left which led to the Kings winning on a tip-in at the buzzer. Jamal Murray finished the game with just nine points on one of nine shooting before fouling out.
Looking at the betting trends, the Clippers are 1-5 ATS in their last six games as a favorite, 12-3 ATS in their last 15 road games and 2-5 ATS in their last seven games overall. The Nuggets are 4-1-2 ATS in their last seven home games, 10-4-1 ATS in their last 15 games as an underdog and 5-2-1 ATS in their last eight games against a team above .600.
Head to head, the under is 42-18-2 in the last 62 meetings overall, the Clippers are 1-5 ATS in the last six meetings overall and the Clippers are 2-5 ATS in the last seven meetings in Denver.
The Clippers looked motivated against the Lakers on opening night and you just know that they will be ready for the Nuggets who rallied back from a 3-1 series deficit in the second round to eliminate them from the playoffs. It’s hard to pick between these two squads, but I think this one comes down to who wants it more and that’s clearly the Clippers who would’ve had revenge on their minds since they left the bubble.
