Los Angeles Clippers vs Denver Nuggets Prediction, 4/21/2025 Preview and Pick

Game: Los Angeles Clippers vs Denver Nuggets

Date: Monday, April 21, 2025

Location: Ball Arena in Denver, CO

TV: TNT

Odds/Point Spread: Los Angeles (-1)

Ball Arena is the site where the Denver Nuggets (50-32) will attempt to beat the Los Angeles Clippers (50-32) on Monday in Game 2 of the Western Conference First Round. Los Angeles opens this matchup as 1-point favorites. The over/under is 218. The Nuggets lead the series 1-0.

The Clippers walked away from Game 1 with a loss by a score of 112-110. Los Angeles ended the game with a 50.0% field goal percentage (43 of 86) and buried 12 of their 33 shots from beyond the perimeter. At the free throw line, the Clippers knocked down 12 of 16 tries for a rate of 75.0%. Pertaining to getting rebounds, they earned 44 with 11 of them being on the offensive end. They also recorded 44 assists in this contest while forcing 16 turnovers and earning 12 steals. With respect to defense, Los Angeles allowed the other team to go 43.6% from the floor on 41 of 94 shooting. Denver totaled 25 dimes and had 4 steals for this contest. In addition, Denver grabbed 45 boards (12 offensive, 33 defensive) and got 2 rejections. Denver shot 77.8% from the free throw line by knocking down 21 of 27 tries. They also converted 9 of their 27 tries from 3-point range. In the matter of fouls, the Clippers ended up with 23 while the Nuggets accounted for 20 fouls.

James Harden is a guy who was a major factor in this game. Harden ended up shooting 50.0% from the floor and totaled 11 assists. He played for 43 minutes and also grabbed 6 rebounds. He had 32 points on 11 out of 22 shooting.

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Los Angeles heads into this contest with a record of 50-32 so far this year. They turn it over 14.9 times per contest and as a unit they commit 18.3 personal fouls per game. As a team, Los Angeles is snagging 43.8 boards per game and has accounted for 2,064 assists on the season, which ranks 23rd in the league in terms of passing the ball. The Clippers are hitting 37.3% on shots from downtown (1,022 of 2,738) and 79.7% from the free throw line. They are averaging 112.9 points per outing (20th in the league) on 48.2% from the floor.

When they are on the defensive end, the Clippers have forced 15.0 turnovers per game and they draw 17.8 fouls. They surrender 35.0% on 3-pointers and they are ranked 4th in the league in PPG from their opponents (108.2). The Clippers defense is allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 46.1% (3,240 of 7,032) and they surrender 41.5 rebounds per game as a group. They are 9th in basketball in allowing assists to their opponents with 2,105 surrendered on the year.

Concerning how they attacked the glass in Game 1, Denver allowed Los Angeles to collect 44 overall (11 on the offensive glass). They shot 36.4% from three-point range by shooting 12 out of 33 and finished the contest at 12 of 16 from the free throw line (75.0%). The Nuggets allowed the Clippers to make 43 out of 86 tries from the floor which gave them a rate of 50.0% in the matchup. When the final whistle blew, the Nuggets ended up shooting 41 out of 94 from the field which gave them a percentage of 43.6%. In regard to 3-point shots, Denver buried 9 of their 27 tries (33.3%). They were able to bury 21 of them for a percentage of 77.8%. The Clippers were called for 15 personal fouls for the game which got the Nuggets to the charity stripe for a total of 27 tries. They also gave up possession of the ball 15 times, while getting 8 steals for this contest. The Nuggets pulled down 33 defensive rebounds and 12 offensive boards for a total of 45 in this matchup.

Nikola Jokic ended up being a factor for the Nuggets for this contest. Jokic recorded 29 points in his 46 mins on the court and had 12 assists in this contest. He knocked down 12 of 24 in the game for a field goal rate of 50.0%, and earned 9 rebounds.

Denver has a mark of 50-32 on the year. As an offense, the Nuggets are shooting 50.6% from the floor, which is 1st in basketball. Denver has totaled 9,902 pts on the campaign (120.8 per contest) and they average 45.7 rebounds per game. They are assisting teammates 31.0 times per contest (1st in basketball) and they turn it over 14.3 times per game. The Nuggets have committed 17.6 personal fouls per game and they hit 77.0% from the charity stripe.

The Denver defense gives up 36.5% on shots from 3-point land (1,156 of 3,170) and opponents are connecting on 77.7% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have surrendered 29.0 dimes and 42.5 boards per contest, which is 29th and 7th in basketball. The Nuggets are ranked 25th in the league in PPG surrendered with 116.9. They are able to force 13.0 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 46.6% from the field (13th in basketball).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Denver (+1.0)

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