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Los Angeles Clippers vs. Denver Nuggets Series Predictions and Best Bets

by Spencer Toth - 4/15/2025

Los Angeles Clippers vs Denver Nuggets series predictions and best bets Kawhi Leonard

The Los Angeles Clippers and Denver Nuggets both have legitimate title aspirations, but one of these contenders will be bounced in the opening round. The Denver Nuggets are led by one man, and they have already proven that is enough to carry them to a championship. Nikola Jokic has already scooped up three MVP awards and is in the conversation for the award once again. Across the court, Kawhi Leonard is seemingly healthy for the postseason and has already won two Finals MVPs with two different teams. Leonard spearheading a confident Clippers offense is a recipe for success, and Jokic will undoubtedly need his teammates help if the Nuggets expect to avoid an early exit this season. Can the Serbian superstar lead his team to another victory, or can Leonard quietly add to his growing Hall of Fame resume?  

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Denver Nuggets:
The Denver Nuggets wouldn’t even make the playoffs if it were not for the play of Nikola Jokic. Jokic posted a 13.28 Box Plus/Minus this season, the second-best individual season of all time (behind 2021-22 Jokic). He is third in PPG (29.6), 3rd in rebounds (12.7), and 2nd in assists (10.2). His 34 triple doubles are more than three times the next closest player this season, and it is hard to put into words what Nikola Jokic has done on the basketball court. His effortless play on the offensive end makes all his teammates better, and he can score, rebound, and dish out unbelievable dimes regardless of who the opposition is. While we can talk about Jokic all day, the reality is we already know what we will get from the future Hall of Famer. The Nuggets will need their role players to deliver on both ends of the court if they are serious about beating the Clippers, let alone making a deep run. There is no good statistic to accurately portray what Jokic does for this team, but here is the one that comes closest. Denver has a -9.39 net rating without Jokic on the court, which would put them second last in the league. When Jokic is on the court, the Nuggets have an 11.94 net rating, second best in the league. 

Jamal Murray has been on the Nuggets his whole career alongside Jokic, but his inability to stay healthy has prevented the Nuggets from being a true dynasty. Murray isn’t going to the Hall of Fame, but he is still a capable guard who played a huge role in the Nuggets 2023 championship. The problem is Murray that hasn’t been playing at the same level we have gotten used to this season. He is playing a career high 36.1 minutes per game, but his PPG has only gone up slightly to 21.4 PPG, while his FG% and 3pt% have dipped. He isn’t crashing the glass as effectively, either, as Murray has been caught falling asleep on offense when Jokic has the ball. The departure of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in the offseason also looms large, as the Nuggets now rely on Murray’s three-point shooting more than ever. 

The Nuggets will always have a chance to win with Jokic on the court, but they will struggle to win 16 playoff games without a supporting cast. Michael Porter Jr. and Aaron Gordon are not capable of being a third option on a championship team, and the Nuggets will need the superhuman play to continue from Jokic if they have any chance of making a deep playoff run. 

Los Angeles Clippers:
The Los Angeles Clippers built what they thought would be a super team in 2020. They pried Kawhi Leonard away from the Toronto Raptors and paired him up with Paul George in Los Angeles. Flash forward five years, and George is part of an abysmal 76ers franchise, while Leonard has struggled to stay healthy. However, Leonard is healthy and ready to go for a playoff run, and the Clippers have a pair of guards in James Harden and Norman Powell looking to make an impact. Powell was an early candidate for MIP this season, but he cooled off in the second half of the year. His 21.8 PPG is still a career high, and he is doing so while shooting 41.8% from behind the arc. Playing alongside him in the backcourt is the always dangerous James Harden. Harden averaged 8.7 assists in the regular season to go with a team-high 22.8 PPG. There is no denying Kawhi Leonard is still the leader of this team, but no one takes the ball out of Harden’s hands on offense. Harden is the only player to average more than 36 PPG in a season this century. And even at 35 years old, he is still capable of taking over. His willingness to pull up from deep, combined with the ability to keep his head up when driving in the paint, makes him an incredibly tough man to slow down. The Clippers offense is strong, but it has been their work on the defensive end that got them into this position. 

Kawhi rightfully gets a ton of defensive credit with his dominant play, and he is still the best player on the court. However, the play of Ivica Zubac in the paint is what allowed the Clippers to have the 3rd best defensive rating in the league. Zubac does a great job at taking away the easy shots in the painted area, and his 1.1 blocks per game don’t tell the whole story about what he does in the paint. His partnership with Leonard means there are two towering presences for opposition guards to navigate around, and Zubac has been a real vacuum on the defensive glass. Taking away the second chance points has been a real emphasis for Tyronn Lue, and it has led to the Clippers winning 15 of their last 17 games. There is no hotter team in basketball heading into the playoffs, and the Clippers look poised to finally oust their playoff demons as they search for the first championship in franchise history. 

Series Prediction:

The Los Angeles Clippers and Denver Nuggets have the closest betting odds in the first round, and a long series is expected as a result. The league has gotten used to the dominant play from Jokic in recent seasons, but that doesn’t mean it will be easy to slow down in the playoffs. Rudy Gobert’s elite defensive play was the only reason the Nuggets didn’t repeat as champions last season, and Zubac will have his hands full on the defensive end. While the play of Jokic is hard to go against, this feels as though it may be the year the Clippers finally get over the hump. 

Comparing Kawhi Leonard to Nikola Jokic is not something most NBA fans would do, but the work of Leonard on defense is just as vital as the offensive work from Jokic. Leonard carried the Raptors to a championship in 2019, and that was the last time we saw him healthy in the playoffs. He could certainly go down with an injury over the next two months, but I have to assume he stays healthy for this series. If that is the case, the Clippers will eliminate the Denver Nuggets this season. The offense from Harden and Powell will tilt the court in favor of the Clippers, and I simply don’t see Jokic doing enough to offset poor play from his teammates. Murray is a shadow of his former self this season, and Aaron Gordon has been unable to evolve like many thought he would. Russell Westbrook is past his prime, and Christian Braun will crumple under the spotlight against a star-studded team like the Clippers. Los Angeles has a truly elite defense all over the court and has won four of the last six meetings between these two teams. Leonard and Jokic facing off will be can’t-miss basketball, but the rest of the Clippers starters and eager bench mob will allow them to emerge victorious. Injuries could always change the equation, but this is the best the aging Clippers squad has looked all season, and they are taking a 15-2 streak into the playoffs. 

Prediction: Los Angeles Clippers in 6 Games

Best Bets:

The Los Angeles Clippers opened up as +140 underdogs against the Nuggets, but that line has been quickly pushed down to +100. While I certainly agree with the movement, I have the Clippers winning this series at 50/50 odds and will happily scoop up any plus money price I can find. The Clippers are the hottest team in the league right now, and their scoring depth, combined with elite defense, will be too much for the Nuggets to overcome.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Clippers need all seven games to get past Denver, but I expect them to win in six more often. The first two games of this series are in Denver, and the Clippers will be heading home happy when they split the games 1-1. They have two losses in the last month and a half and will not be losing back-to-back games to start a promising playoff run. The -1.5 series spread is an option at +185, but the upside isn’t large enough compared to the +100 series line. Instead, let’s take Jokic to have the most assists in the series at +120 for our second bet. This is expected to be a two-horse race with James Harden, but the script is kinder for the Serbian MVP. The Clippers will double-team Jokic at every opportunity and force him to pass the ball. Jokic has been trusting his teammates this season, and he will need to do so again against the Clippers. Harden tends to shoot more often in the playoffs, too. So, with both of these factors in mind, Jokic to get the most assists is a steal at +120 odds. 

Top Pick: Los Angeles Clippers to Win the Series +100

Pick: Nikola Jokic Most Assists +120

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