After a grueling last month of jostling for playoff positioning, the LA Clippers and the Denver Nuggets will meet in the first round starting Saturday. The Clippers and the Nuggets ended the regular season with a 50-32 record, but Denver owned the tiebreaker to host the series. Nikola Jokic and Co. finished the season with a 32-20 mark against Western Conference opponents, while LA had a 29-23 record.
The two teams took different paths to where they ended up after the regular season. Denver once had the No. 2 spot but slid to No. 4 due to late-season struggles that resulted in the firing of Mike Malone. LA took a different path, hanging at the No. 8 spot before surging to the finish line.
With the 82-game grind out the window, they can focus on each other for what is expected to be a slam-bang affair.
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LA Clippers vs Denver Nuggets head-to-head
What began as a fairly even head-to-head duel in the 70s became a steadily lopsided mano-a-mano favoring the Nuggets. Denver has a stranglehold on battles over the years, holding a 110-87 record.
Over the last two seasons, they have been even, toting a 4-4 card during that stretch.
LA Clippers vs Denver Nuggets Season Stats
If the entire season stats hold, the Clippers-Nuggets series could be the proverbial battle between offense and defense. LA averages 112.9 points per game, 20th in the NBA, and owns a 114.3 offensive rating, 15th in the league. Defense has been the Clippers’ calling card. They have a 109.4 defensive rating, third in the NBA, and surrender 108.4 PPG, fourth among 30 teams.
Since March 6, though, they have had the No. 1 offense and defense, which will be a cause for concern for the Nuggets.
Denver usually overwhelms opponents with its high-octane offense, which pours in 120.8 PPG, third in the NBA. Behind Nikola Jokic’s brilliance, the Nuggets have the fourth-best offensive rating this season with 118.9.
Conversely, the Nuggets have a 118.9 defensive rating, 21st in the NBA and the worst among Western Conference playoff-bound teams. The porous defense has allowed opponents to torch them for 116.9 PPG, 25th in the league.
LA Clippers vs Denver Nuggets Last 5 games
The Clippers and the Nuggets are 2-2 this season and 3-2 over their last five games, with LA holding the slight edge. LA won three straight before Denver broke the slump in mid-December. The Nuggets kept their dominance, pulverizing the Clippers 126-103 in early January.
The trend here is that when LA wins, the margin of victory has never reached past five points. When Denver emerges on top, it’s usually a blowout win.
Here are the scorelines of the last five games between the LA Clippers and Denver Nuggets:
- Nuggets 126-103 Clippers, Jan. 8, 2025
- Nuggets 120-98 Clippers, Dec. 13, 2024
- Clippers 126-122 Nuggets, Dec. 1, 2024
- Clippers 109-104 Nuggets, Oct. 26, 2024
- Clippers 102-100 Nuggets, Apr. 4, 2024
LA Clippers vs Denver Nuggets 2024 NBA Playoffs Schedule
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