Denver Nuggets vs. Los Angeles Clippers Game 2 (DEN Leads 1-0) - Best Bets & Betting Odds
All odds provided by Betway.
Nuggets vs. Clippers Moneyline Prediction
The Clippers were up 15 with just a few minutes left in the first half of Game 1. Then they started getting careless with the ball. During a 13-2 run to finish the quarter, the Nuggets scored nine points off of four L.A. turnovers. All in all, the Clippers had 20 turnovers for just the 11th time all season (4-7 record in those games).
That’s a lot more than their normal 13.8 per game. And the funny thing is, it wasn’t the guy people are always hounding about his playoff resume (James Harden, two turnovers) that kept coughing it up. It was the guy universally viewed as an all-time playoff performer: Kawhi Leonard. The Klaw had seven turnovers for just the third time in the last four seasons. If we know anything about cyborgs, it’s that they have short memories.
Denver thrives off of opponent turnovers because they are so good in transition and against defenses that are not set. They outscored the Clippers 29-9 on points off turnovers in Game 1, which is something the Clippers can not allow to happen again. A lot of their issues were not even forced by Denver but rather bad passes or decisions by Clippers players.
L.A. has the more talented team, they just need to cool their nerves—and the cyborg needs to get a system update. They battled back from adversity to force overtime in the last game, and though they lost, that will still be encouraging. They’ll come back and get the job done properly this time around.
Best Bet: Los Angeles Clippers Moneyline (-120)
Player Prop Best Bet
Despite the prevailing opinion about him, James Harden has put up some impressive performances in the playoffs. His 32-point, 11-assist gem in Game 1, which included the game-tying runner to send it to OT, was wasted, but he’s got more left in the tank.
The Clippers won eight straight to finish the regular season, and the main reason for that was the Beard. Over the final seven games, he averaged 25.9 points and 10.1 assists a night, and that hot streak obviously continued when he arrived in the Rockies to take on the Nuggets on Saturday.
He has now dished out 10+ dimes in six straight games and seven of his last eight. And, if you weren’t already convinced, the Nuggets allowed 29.0 assists per game this year, second-most in the NBA. Sportsbooks should probably have this at 10.5 (and likely will soon) so hop on this quickly.
Best Bet: James Harden Over 9.5 Assists (-115)/Betway
