Nuggets fans bemoaned Michael Porter Jr.s' lack of playing time all season, but Malone had a point. Getting them some more important minutes together wouldn't be the worst idea. Jerami Grant has played in the playoffs, but only for the Thunder. Keita Bates-Diop is coming from Minnesota. By leaving his bench in late against two of the best teams in the NBA, Malone not only showed faith in his reserves that will lead to confidence, but gave them a reasonable approximation of what playoff basketball will look like. Stars are usually immune to postseason pressure. The other possibility would be to help the bench get over any possible nerves ahead of the playoffs. The Lakers and Clippers gave him plenty of fourth-quarter tape, whereas they didn't get new looks at the Nuggets in a clutch setting. If this was about rest, why not stagger their minutes in a way that allows them to play in the most important minutes rather than earlier ones?Ī couple of galaxy-brain theories: first, sensing that both opponents actually wanted to win, Malone wanted a chance to see what both would do in late-game situations without revealing how he would manage those moments. They lost both games, and while the Nuggets are likely fine with the idea of matchup up with Utah instead of Dallas, Mike Malone could have found far easier ways to tank if that was what this was about. The Nuggets are playing 4-D chessįor the second consecutive game against a Los Angeles contender, the Nuggets punted away crunch-time by leaving their bench in for the entire fourth quarter. Here are the biggest takeaways from tonight's game. Denver's priority wasn't to win this game, and unsurprisingly, they didn't. The Nuggets held their own on a near-triple-double from Nikola Jokic and 25 surprise points from Jerami Grant, but their fate was sealed when they refused to put their starters back in the game in the fourth quarter. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George combined for 53 points on 50 percent shooting. The Clippers victory came behind a stellar outing by their two stars. 5 seeds, though which team is which is still to be determined. The Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder will occupy the No. By beating the Denver Nuggets, the Los Angeles Clippers clinched the No. Take the over in this one.And with that, the Western Conference playoff bracket is now set outside of the No. There’s a lot of familiarity between these opponents which tends to mean better defensive tactics but both offenses are humming right now. The Nuggets aren’t far behind at 119.4 points per game in the same span, good for 10th in the league. Over the last five games, the Clippers rank sixth in the NBA in points per game at 121.2. If George plays, the Clippers might be worth backing as moneyline underdogs. Back LA to keep things close, especially with Leonard coming back into the mix. Meanwhile, the Clippers are 5-3 ATS as the road underdog. Denver is 10-7 ATS as the home team and 18-19 ATS on the season. This number will move depending on George’s status but the Nuggets haven’t been a great team against the number. The Nuggets are intact for this game.ĭenver is a 5-point favorite at DraftKings Sportsbook. Kawhi Leonard is back after missing Monday’s game with an illness. Paul George is questionable to play in this game with a hamstring issue, while Nicolas Batum is out for LA. The Clippers are hoping to snap a three-game losing streak, while the Nuggets are 7-3 in their last 10 contests. The Los Angeles Clippers (21-18) will face the Denver Nuggets (24-13) in a matchup of Western conference title contenders.
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