Denver Nuggets vs Los Angeles Clippers Prediction, 5/1/2021 NBA Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Denver Nuggets vs Los Angeles Clippers

Date: Saturday, May 1, 2021

Location: STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, CA

TV: Bally Sports West

Odds/Point Spread: Denver (+1.5)

STAPLES Center is the venue where and the Los Angeles Clippers (43-21) will play the Denver Nuggets (42-21) on Saturday. Los Angeles opens this contest as 1.5-point favorites. The O/U opens at 229.

The Denver Nuggets faced off with the Toronto Raptors and went home with a win by a final score of 121-111 in their last contest. Denver ended with a 47.8% field goal percentage (44 of 92) and converted 12 of their 35 shots from 3-point land. At the charity stripe, the Nuggets made 21 of 26 shots for a percentage of 80.8%. With regard to hauling in boards, they compiled 47 with 14 of them being of the offensive sort. They also recorded 22 assists for the contest as well as forcing the other team into 15 turnovers and getting 6 steals. In reference to defense, Denver allowed 48.2% from the field on 40 out of 83 shooting. Toronto distributed 27 dimes and had 11 steals in this contest. Additionally, Toronto snagged 35 rebounds (7 offensive, 28 defensive) and added 7 blocks. Toronto finished the game at 83.3% from the charity stripe by burying 15 of 18 shots. They buried 16 of 32 shots from 3-point range.

Michael Porter Jr. is a guy who was important in the matchup. He racked up 23 points on 8 of 19 shooting. He saw the court for 35:23 minutes played and totaled 7 rebounds. Porter finished 42.1% from the field and also totaled 1 assist. An additional guy that came through in the matchup for the Nuggets was Nikola Jokic. He had 11 rebounds in 28:26 minutes played on the night. He finished the game at 61.5% from the field in the game by shooting 8-of-13 (19 points). At the conclusion of this game, Jokic collected 2 assists.

Denver will enter this matchup with a record of 42-21 so far this year. They lose possession via turnover 13.6 times per contest and as a team they commit 18.8 fouls per contest. As a team, Denver is collecting 44.5 rebounds per game and has accounted for 1,705 dimes for the year, which ranks 2nd in the league in terms of passing the ball. The Nuggets are shooting 38.0% on shots from distance (818 of 2,150) and 79.5% from the free throw line. They are averaging 115.6 pts per contest (4th in basketball) while hitting 48.8% from the floor. On the defensive end of the court, the Nuggets are forcing 14.1 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 19.2 personal fouls. They are currently ranked 28th in the league in giving up assists to their opponents with 1,658 conceded on the campaign. The Nuggets are giving up and opponent field goal percentage of 47.0% (888 of 1,209) and they concede 41.0 boards per game as a team. They are surrendering 36.1% on shots from downtown while they are 9th in basketball in PPG allowed (110.2).

The last time they took the court, the Los Angeles Clippers went home defeated by a final of 109-101 when they faced the Phoenix Suns. The Clippers were able to corral 31 defensive rebounds and 5 offensive boards totaling 36 in the matchup. They also turned it over 14 times, while getting 8 steals in the matchup. The Suns were called for 11 personal fouls in the matchup which took the Clippers to the charity stripe for 9 shots. They were able to bury 7 of the free throws for a percentage of 77.8%. Regarding shots from distance, Los Angeles converted 12 of 31 tries (38.7%). Overall, the Clippers went 41 out of 80 from the field which had them shooting 51.3%. The Clippers allowed the Suns to make 43 out of their 91 tries from the floor which gave them a rate of 47.3% in this game. They finished 35.1% from beyond the perimeter by going 13 out of 37 and ended up going 10 of 13 at the free throw line (76.9%). When talking about how they cleaned up the glass, Los Angeles permitted Phoenix to pull down 45 in all (15 on the offensive side).

Paul George ended up being important for the Clippers for the matchup. He converted 9 of 21 in this matchup for a field goal rate of 42.9%, and accounted for 10 rebounds. George racked up 25 points in his 36:10 mins on the court and had 4 dimes for this contest. Another guy that was pivotal for Los Angeles was Marcus Morris. He ended up walking away with 1 assist in his 33:40 mins on the hardwood, and he converted 6 out of 12 from the floor. Morris walked away from this one going 50.0% from the field in addition to collecting 16 points and 4 total rebounds.

Los Angeles has a mark of 43-21 so far this season. The Clippers commit 19.5 fouls every game and they go 83.6% from the charity stripe. Their rate of earning assists is at 24.4 times per contest (18th in basketball) and they are turning it over 13.1 times per contest. Los Angeles has totaled 7,327 pts this year (114.5 per contest) and they pull down 44.3 rebounds per game. As an offensive team, the Clippers are shooting 48.2% from the floor, which is 6th in the league. The Clippers on defense are ranked 5th in basketball in points per game surrendered with 108.3. They have allowed 22.8 dimes and 41.3 boards per game, which has them ranked 4th and 3rd in basketball. The Los Angeles defense gives up 35.9% on shots from beyond the arc (745 of 2,073) and their opposition knocks down 78.0% of their free throw attempts. They are forcing their opponents into 12.9 TO's every game and allow teams to shoot 46.5% from the field (14th in the league).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Los Angeles (-1.5)

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