Denver Nuggets vs. Los Angeles Clippers Odds, Pick, Prediction 1/11/22
The 2021-22 NBA season continues Tuesday, January 11, with six games around the Association, including the Western Conference showdown at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, so we have prepared the best Nuggets vs. Clippers betting pick, tips, and odds.
According to MyBookie Sportsbook, the Nuggets opened as small 1.5-point road favorites with a total of 218.0 points. Denver and LA meet in Game 2 of their four-game regular-season series, and the Nuggets outlasted the Clippers 103-100 as 3.5-point road favorites on December 26, 2021.
The Nuggets aim for their third straight win
The Denver Nuggets (20-18; 16-22 ATS) are coming off a 99-95 victory at the Oklahoma City Thunder this past Sunday. Nikola Jokic put on another tremendous performance and finished with 22 points, 18 rebounds, and six assists, while Austin Rivers added 22 points, five boards, and three steals off the bench.
Will Barton, who had 14 points against the Thunder, entered the medical protocols Monday and will sit out the Clippers game. The Nuggets will continue to lean heavily on Jokic, as the reigning MVP has averaged 24.2 points, 15.5 boards, and 5.8 dimes a night over his previous ten outings.
Denver has gone 5-2 SU and 3-4 ATS in the last seven games at any location. The Nuggets are the No. 6 seed in the West even though they own the 19th-best offensive rating (109.4 points per 100 possessions) and the 16th-best defensive rating in the league (109.4 as well).
The Clippers beat Atlanta to snap their three-game skid
The Los Angeles Clippers (20-21; 18-23 ATS) have struggled mightily over the last few weeks. They are only 4-9 SU and 5-8 ATS in the previous 13 games overall. Also, the Clippers have won just one of their last six home contests, covering twice in the process.
Kawhi Leonard is questionable to play this season. Paul George is on the shelf with an elbow injury and will miss at least a few more weeks, while Luke Kennard and Justise Winslow are both in the medical protocols. The Clippers are coming off a 106-93 home win to the Atlanta Hawks this past Sunday, and the third-season guard Amir Coffey led the way with 21 points and five rebounds.
Coffey has averaged 10.7 points over his last showings for the injury-depleted Clippers. Los Angeles sits at the ninth spot of the Western Conference standings, trailing the No. 8 Minnesota by half a game.
Trends:
Denver:
- 5-2 ATS in the last seven games against the Clippers
- 8-4 ATS in the last 12 games played in January
LA Clippers:
- 2-6 ATS in the last eight games against the Western Conference
- 4-10 ATS in the last 14 games at home
Denver Nuggets vs. Los Angeles Clippers Pick
The Clippers own the fourth-worst offensive rating in the NBA, tallying 106.4 points per 100 possessions. Without Kawhi and Paul George, LA lacks consistency on the offensive end, but the Clippers are still doing a solid job on the defensive end, boasting the fourth-best defensive rating in the league (107.0).
The Nuggets have selection problems, too, but they can count on their best player, so I have to take the visitors. Denver loves to share the ball (26.8 assists per 100 possessions, third-best in the league) and should find a way to deal with the Clippers’ defense.
Pick: Take Denver Nuggets -1.5 at -110
The Total:
The first meeting of the season between these two foes saw the Nuggets overcoming a nine-point fourth-quarter deficit to grab a 103-100 victory in LA. I’m expecting a similar scenario this time around and would be surprised if the Nuggets and Clippers combine for more than 218 points.
Denver prefers to play at a slow pace, averaging 96.7 possessions per 48 minutes (24th in the league). On the other side, LA records 98.6 possessions per 48 minutes (13th). The under is 7-2 in the Nuggets’ last nine outings and 5-1 in their previous six showings on the road, while five of the previous six encounters between Denver and LA have gone under the total.
Pick: Go under 218.0 points at -110