After Oklahoma City decimated them by 30 points in the preseason, the Denver Nuggets struggled again against the Thunder on their home floor, scoring just 87 points on just over 35% shooting from the field.
Denver has an opportunity to bounce back at home before heading out for a 3-game road trip, as it hosts the Los Angeles Clippers in the absence of Kawhi Leonard. Who will step up in this Western Conference matchup between two of the top four teams in the conference last season.
Read below for my NBA same game parlay for Clippers vs. Nuggets and my NBA picks for Saturday, October 26.
NBA Same Game Parlay for Clippers vs Nuggets
- Nuggets Moneyline (-340)
- Christian Braun to Score 10+ Points (-125)
- Michael Porter Jr. 3+ Three-Pointers Made (-125)
Parlay Odds: +270 (DraftKings)
Remember to bet responsibly — this is a long shot for a reason.
Nuggets Moneyline (-340)
The Nuggets are still the Nuggets, and one poor shooting night against one of the league’s best defensive units does not change that fact.
Denver still held last season’s top 3-point shooting team to a putrid 8-for-36 effort from behind the arc and out-rebounded the Thunder by eight boards.
The Nuggets are in a perfect bounce-back spot on their home floor against a Clippers team that will be among the worst teams in the Western Conference.
Last season, Denver held the third-best record (20-9) after a loss, and boasted the third-highest net rating on its home floor.
Los Angeles took a talented Phoenix team to overtime in its first game, but much of that was due to its interior dominance (62-42 advantage in points in the paint).
The Suns are undersized and will likely struggle against big and physical teams all year, but Denver is certainly not undersized. In fact, the Nuggets ranked fourth in total rebounding percentage on their home floor during the 2023-24 campaign. This is a terrific matchup for Denver.
Christian Braun to Score 10+ Points (-125)
With Kentavious Caldwell-Pope now in Orlando, it will be up to Christian Braun to fill his shoes as a versatile 3-and-D wing.
However, Denver’s first game indicated Braun might be in for an even more prominent offensive role this year, as he took 15 shots (second-most for Denver) and played just shy of 30 minutes against the Thunder.
Braun’s pesky defense has helped him find floor time for the Nuggets over the past few seasons, but his offensive skillset seems to have turned a corner.
After pouring in 16 points in the season-opener at home, I see Braun reaching double-digits against a Clippers defense that will likely deploy Norman Powell, a weak defender, against him.
Michael Porter Jr. 3+ Three-Pointers Made (-125)
As mentioned above, the Denver Nuggets' shooting was lousy. But their bench caused things to go from bad to worse, as that unit combined shot just 1-for-16 from 3-point land. Yikes.
Still, Porter Jr’s 3-point volume was promising. He launched 10 3-pointers throughout his 32 minutes on the floor.
If Denver’s first game taught us anything, it is that it needs to rely as much as possible on its established 3-point shooters for perimeter scoring. Nikola Jokic seems to agree, as he alluded that Porter Jr. and Murray were the team’s only good shooters.
Porter is a career 41% shooter from deep, and he doesn’t need much room to get open.
