The Denver Nuggets (10-7) and Los Angeles Clippers (12-9) will meet in the NBA tonight. Tipoff is set for 10 p.m. ET from the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. The game will broadcast live on NBA League Pass.
The Nuggets are 3-point favorites over the Clippers on the spread (Nuggets -3), with the over/under set at 222.5 total points. Denver is a -150 favorite to win outright, while Los Angeles is +125 to pull off the upset.
Let's get into my Clippers vs. Nuggets predictions and NBA picks for Sunday, December 1.
Nuggets vs. Clippers Prediction, Pick
Spread
Given my projection of the Clippers as 2-point underdogs, I slightly lean toward the home team at the market price of +2.5.
Moneyline
Bettors can find additional value on the Clippers' moneyline of +124 at FanDuel, considering they should be closer to +110 using our projection as 2-point 'dogs.
Over/Under
My Clippers vs. Nuggets best bet is on the under at 222.5, but always make sure to shop for the best line with our live NBA odds page.
My Pick: Under 222.5
Nuggets vs. Clippers Odds, Point Spread, Total, Lines
| Nuggets Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-3 -110 | 222.5 -110 / -110 | -150 |
| Clippers Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+3 -110 | 222.5 -110 / -110 | +125 |
- Nuggets vs Clippers spread: Nuggets -3
- Nuggets vs Clippers over/under: 222.5 points
- Nuggets vs Clippers moneyline: Clippers +125, Nuggets -150
- Nuggets vs Clippers best bet: Under 222.5
Nuggets vs. Clippers NBA Sunday
Paul George's decision to sign with the 76ers as a free agent resulted in the Clippers' roster getting slightly younger. After being the oldest team in the league last season, with an average age of 28.4 years, the Clippers are now 28th, as their average player age is down to 27.7 years old.
However, George's departure forced the Clippers' front office to prioritize building a team that offered more flexibility. They signed Derrick Jones Jr. (three years – $30M) to bolster their frontcourt defensively and added the 17-year veteran Nicolas Batum (two years – $9.6M) to provide depth on the bench. Kris Dunn (three years – $17M) joined the team in a sign-and-trade from the Jazz, while the additions of Kevin Porter Jr. (two years – $4.7M) and Mo Bamba (one year – $2.6M) were viewed as potentially low-risk, high-reward moves.
The Clippers knew they wouldn't be as strong offensively, so they leaned into building a much more formidable defensive unit.
Despite being somewhat undersized as a small forward, Jones boasts a 7-foot wingspan and an incredible leaping ability with a 46-inch vertical leap. Thus, he can defend inside the paint and use his long arms to contest shots on the perimeter.
As for Batum, he's a perfect glue guy for the Clippers, one who understands his role and does his job for the team. Even at 35, he's still a quality defender and, according to NBA.com, has the eighth-best defensive rating (98.3) among players who average at least 17 minutes per game.
If we turn to Dunn, he made his mark with Utah because of his defensive prowess. He's continued that refine defensive form into this season, and per Cleaning the Glass, the Clippers have a +175 point differential when Dunn is on the court, which is the eighth-best mark among players with 900 or more possessions.
Overall, the Clippers have gone from a team that finished 16th in defensive efficiency (114.6) to now having the fourth-best rating in the league (107.2).
Interestingly, the Clippers have another addition that you won't necessarily find on the roster. Moving into their new digs in the Intuit Dome has also added another defensive element to the team. One of the unique aspects of the Intuit Dome is the 51 rows of uninterrupted seats (4,500) that make up "The Wall" which are specifically dedicated to only those who can pass a screening test to qualify as the most passionate and rowdiest of the Clipper fanbase.
Since opposing teams have to shoot on the opposite side of their bench in the second half, fans within The Wall are incentivized to make as much noise as possible throughout the game, especially when opposing players are shooting fourth-quarter free throws. Should a player miss two consecutive free throws, attending fans can receive a free chicken sandwich redeemable from Chick-fil-A the following day.
Nuggets vs. Clippers Prediction
The Clippers' pace of play certainly factors into my decision to target the under in this spot. They rank 20th in tempo with 98.4 possessions per game, which drops to 97.4 when at home. Given their pace and the advantage of playing in front of their fans, it's worth noting that the Clippers' defensive rating at home (105.4) is almost four points better than it is on the road (109.0).
As a result, it's not a huge surprise to see that the Clippers are 13-7-1 (65%) to the under, which improves to 72.7% (8-3) when they're at home.
And if we look at the head-to-head series, the under is 7-2-1 in their last 10 meetings. Los Angeles has also covered the spread in three straight games against the Nuggets while winning outright twice as underdogs. However, Denver will be the better-rested team, having last played on Wednesday, with the Clippers recently in action on Friday.
Since that disadvantage does give me some reason for pause, I'll add some insurance with an alternate point spread on the Clippers at +6.5 and pair that with under 222.5 total points for a same game parlay payout of +180 odds.
Best Bet: Under 222.5 (-110)
Same Game Parlay: Clippers +6.5 – alternate spread, Under 222.5 points (+180)
