LA Clippers vs Denver Nuggets Predicted Starting Lineups and Depth Charts for Game 1 (April 19) | 2025 NBA Playoffs

The LA Clippers will be at Mile High City on Saturday to start their first-round playoff series with the Denver Nuggets. LA is seeded fifth but heads into Game 1 as one of the hottest teams in the NBA. The Clippers, 18-3 since Mar. 3, look to draw first blood with a win against Nikola Jokic and Co.

The Nuggets hope to have put the chaotic ending to the regular season behind them. Denver fired Mike Malone before interim head coach David Adelman guided the team to three straight wins and the No. 4 seed. They will be tested right off the bat against a team with the best net rating in the NBA in the last three weeks.

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LA Clippers vs Denver Nuggets Injury Report

LA Clippers injury report

The Clippers don’t have anyone on the injury report for Game 1 of their series against the Nuggets.

Denver Nuggets injury report

DaRon Holmes remains out due to a right Achilles injury.

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LA Clippers vs Denver Nuggets Predicted Starting Lineups and Depth Chart

LA Clippers predicted starting lineup and depth chart

Starters	2nd	3rd
James Harden	Ben Simmons	Patty Mills
Kris Dunn	Bogdan Bogdanovic	Amir Coffey
Norman Powell	Derrick Jones Jr.	Jordan Miller
Kawhi Leonard	Nic Batum	Kobe Brown
Ivica Zubac	Drew Eubanks

Denver Nuggets predicted starting lineup and depth chart

Starters	2nd	3rd
Jamal Murray	Russell Westbrook	Jalen Pickett
Christian Braun	Julian Strawther	Jalen Pickett
Michael Porter Jr.	Peyton Watson	Spencer Jones
Aaron Gordon	Zeke Nnaji	Hunter Tyson
Nikola Jokic	DeAndre Jordan	Dario Saric

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LA Clippers vs Denver Nuggets: Key matchups

Nikola Jokic vs Ivica Zubac

Nikola Jokic vs Ivica Zubac has to be the one-on-one duel to look forward to in the Clippers-Nuggets series. It’s no secret that the Nuggets will always lean on the Serbian, the three-time MVP. Jokic is averaging 29.6 points, 12.7 rebounds and 10.2 assists per game.

Zubac turned heads with his improved defensive play, which has made him a contender for the Defensive Player of the Year. If the Croatian can keep the Joker from having his usual influence and impact on the game, the Clippers could pull off a Game 1 upset.

Kawhi Leonard vs Aaron Gordon

The LA Clippers surged in the second half of the season partly because of Kawhi Leonard’s play. Leonard averaged 17.2 PPG in January and February before putting up 26.0 PPG over the next two months. The Claw is looking more and more like the two-time NBA Finals MVP.

Aaron Gordon will likely start on Leonard. Gordon has the size, athleticism and experience to keep Leonard from exploding. It will be a big win for Denver if Gordon can shackle Leonard.

James Harden vs Christian Braun

What Jokic does for Denver is similar to what James Harden brings to the LA Clippers. LA’s offense becomes lethal when the former MVP dictates the tempo and pace of the game. The Clippers are tough to beat if Harden is scoring and running his team with efficiency.

The Nuggets groomed Christian Braun to be their eventual perimeter defensive ace. This will be his first postseason as the team’s go-to stopper in the backcourt. He will test his skills against Harden, one of the craftiest and most unorthodox players with the ball.

Norman Powell vs Michael Porter Jr.

Norman Powell has been a thorn in the Denver Nuggets’ side all season. The shooting guard is averaging 27.8 PPG on 53.6% efficiency, including 48.7% from deep versus Denver.

The Nuggets simply can’t allow Powell to have another big scoring night against them. It will be Michael Porter Jr.’s task to slow down Powell. Porter is bigger and stronger but he will have to fight and navigate through screens to shadow Powell.

This matchup could be the X-factor that decides the series.