Denver Nuggets vs Los Angeles Clippers Prediction, 4/1/2021 NBA Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Denver Nuggets vs Los Angeles Clippers

Date: Thursday, April 1, 2021

Location: STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, CA

TV: Bally Sports SoCal

Odds/Point Spread: Denver (+3.5)

The Denver Nuggets (29-18) travel to STAPLES Center on Thursday where they'll meet the Los Angeles Clippers (32-17). The line on this matchup has Los Angeles as 3.5-point favorites. The total has been set at 233.

The Denver Nuggets stepped onto the hardwood against the Philadelphia 76ers and notched a win by a score of 104-95 in their last contest. Denver ended the contest with a 48.1% field goal percentage (39 out of 81) and converted 12 out of their 31 shots from 3-point land. From the free throw line, the Nuggets buried 14 of their 17 attempts for a rate of 82.4%. Pertaining to hauling in rebounds, they compiled 51 with 9 of them being on the offensive end. They also distributed 26 assists for the matchup while forcing the other team into 11 turnovers and getting 9 steals. Pertaining to the defense, Denver allowed the other team to shoot 42.7% from the floor on 35 out of 82 shooting. Philadelphia doled out 18 assists and had 14 steals for this contest. Additionally, Philadelphia snagged 34 rebounds (5 offensive, 29 defensive) and added 6 blocks. Philadelphia finished the contest at 93.3% when shooting free throws by knocking down 14 of their 15 shots. They also buried 11 of 35 tries from beyond the arc.

Jamal Murray is a guy who had an impact in this matchup. He ended up finishing with 30 points on 12 of 24 shooting. He saw the court for 37:49 mins and also pulled down 6 rebounds. Murray went 50.0% from the floor and also distributed 4 dimes. Someone else that was a major contributor in this matchup for the Nuggets was Michael Porter Jr.. He grabbed 12 rebounds in his 36:12 minutes on the hardwood. He finished the contest at 68.8% from the field in the matchup by going 11-of-16 (27 points). When the time ran out, Porter earned 4 assists.

Denver heads into this contest with a win-loss mark of 29-18 on the campaign. The Nuggets are shooting 38.7% on 3-point shots (628 of 1,624) and 78.5% from the free throw line. They are averaging 115.5 points per game (4th in the league) on 48.8% from the field. They cough up possession 13.4 times per game and as a team they commit 19.0 personal fouls per game. As a team, Denver is pulling down 44.2 boards per contest and has totaled 1,267 dimes this season, which has them ranked 2nd in the NBA in terms of passing the rock. On the defensive end of the court, the Nuggets have forced 14.2 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 19.2 fouls. The Nuggets defense is allowing an opponent FG percentage of 46.9% (667 of 904) and they surrender 41.3 rebounds per contest as a group. They currently rank 28th in the NBA in giving up assists to the opposition with 1,241 conceded so far this season. They are giving up 36.4% on 3-pointers while they are 8th in the NBA in points per game allowed (110.4).

In their last game, the Los Angeles Clippers went home defeated by a final of 103-96 when they faced the Orlando Magic. The Clippers recorded 36 defensive rebounds and 12 offensive boards for a total of 48 in this contest. They also turned the ball over 14 times, while earning 3 steals in the game. The Magic had 13 fouls in the game which got the Clippers to the charity stripe for a total of 10 shots. They were able to bury 10 of the free throws for a percentage of 100.0%. Concerning three-point attempts, Los Angeles knocked down 12 of 37 attempts (32.4%). At the conclusion of this game, the Clippers went 37 for 89 from the field which had them shooting 41.6%. The Clippers permitted the Magic to knock down 38 of their 92 tries from the field which gave them a rate of 41.3% for this game. They finished the game shooting 29.4% from distance by shooting 5 of 17 and ended up shooting 22 of 25 from the free throw line (88.0%). In reference to cleaning the glass, Los Angeles permitted Orlando to grab 50 overall (15 on the offensive side).

Kawhi Leonard ended up having an impact for the Clippers for the game. He made 10 out of 20 in this game for a field goal rate of 50.0%, and accumulated 5 rebounds. Leonard totaled 28 points in his 35:22 mins of playing time and accumulated 5 dimes for this game. One more player who came through for Los Angeles was Luke Kennard. He left the arena with 2 dimes in 32:38 mins on the court, and he knocked down 6 out of 16 from the floor. Kennard ended the game having shot 37.5% from the floor as well as collecting 17 points and 3 boards.

Los Angeles has a mark of 32-17 for the season. In terms of offensive execution, the Clippers are hitting on 48.3% from the field, which has them ranked 7th in the NBA. Los Angeles has 5,630 pts this season (114.9 per contest) and they collect 44.3 rebounds per game. Their rate of earning assists is at 24.2 times per game (19th in basketball) and they turn it over 12.9 times per game. The Clippers are committing 19.1 personal fouls every game and they shoot 83.9% from the charity stripe. The Clippers on the defensive side of the court are 6th in the league in points per game surrendered with 108.5. The Los Angeles defense allows 36.3% on 3-point attempts (566 of 1,561) and their opposition makes 78.3% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have relinquished 22.9 dimes and 41.2 rebounds per contest, ranking them 5th and 2nd in the NBA. They are able to force 12.9 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 46.8% from the field (19th in the league).

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Denver (+3.5)

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here