The Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Clippers are both on the outside of the Western Conference playoff chase as the regular season winds down, but within striking range of sneaking into the postseason. Neither team has much room for error and they will face off in a critical matchup this week.
The Nuggets are the slightly better team but have to go on the road, where they have not played that well on the season. The Clippers should be the favorites but they are two games outside of the No. 8 seed so they need to win this game and get some help from other teams.
It is crazy to see how jumbled up the Western Conference is this late in the year, and it will all be figured out soon. The Nuggets and Clippers are underdogs to make the postseason but the winner of this one will give itself a chance in NBA basketball betting.
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Odds Analysis
The Nuggets are 43-35 straight up and 35-40-3 against the spread. Denver has gone 16-21-2 against the spread on the road this season. The Nuggets are 14-13-2 against the spread as the underdog on the year.
The Clippers are 42-36 straight up and 42-36 against the spread. Los Angeles has covered in 18 of 38 attempts at home this season. The Clippers are 22-17 against the spread as the favorite on the year.
Scheduling Situation
Only three games separate the No. 4 seed through the No. 10 seed in the Western Conference. The Clippers are currently sitting in tenth place and have four games remaining. The margin for error is slim as they need to make up two games on someone down the stretch.
The Nuggets sit in ninth place and are a game outside of the postseason. A win here would be huge for the team’s chances as well. Denver and Los Angeles need to have great finishes and then hope some other teams falter.
The Nuggets are in fourth place, followed by the San Antonio Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunder, Minnesota Timberwolves and New Orleans Pelicans.
Key Stat
14. That’s the number of victories the Nuggets have accumulated on the road this year in 39 attempts. They are much better at home and the location of this game figures to play heavily into the outcome.
Denver is on the outside looking in at the playoff picture because of these road woes. The Nuggets probably have the more talented team but need to find a way to step up in this hostile environment.
The Clippers have gone 22-16 at home this season, which isn’t a great mark but is good enough to give them confidence.
Free NBA ATS Picks
Denver seems like it could be a thorn in the side of a top seed if it can find a way into the postseason, and a win in this one is essential. The Clippers will be the favorite but the Nuggets will be playing with a high sense of urgency.
Take Denver to come away with a hard-fought win off a last-second shot. The Clippers’ playoff hopes will be basically dashed with a loss in this contest in NBA basketball wagering. The ”under” should be considered on the scoring total as the defensive intensity should be high as both teams know how important this game is to each of their postseason dreams.
NBA Odds: Nuggets 108, Clippers 106
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