Both Denver and Los Angeles are well rested heading into the December 6th Nuggets at Clippers betting matchup after each team was eliminated from the in-season tournament. You’d think both teams being at full strength would favor the Nuggets (14-7), but it’s Los Angeles (9-10) that is a -1 point home favorite.
These clubs both met not too long ago, with the Nuggets picking up a 113-104 win on November 27th – very shorthanded on the road as +11.5 underdogs. That is one of a few reasons it’s a surprise to see Denver at just +1 on Wednesday, but 57% of the public is going Clippers.
Why Denver Has Value at +1
The Nuggets seem like they could be a play at -4 or -5 points or higher for Wednesday’s matchup. Denver sits in third place in the Western Conference and had a four game win streak going until Saturday’s 123-117 loss at Sacramento during the in-season tournament.
Part of that four game win streak for the Nuggets was a 113-104 victory over the Clippers in L.A. two Mondays ago. Denver was playing on the back to back after a 132-120 win over San Antonio the night before so they rested Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and Aaron Gordon – and still picked up a 9-point road win. A couple of former Clippers dominated for the Nuggets in that game, with Reggie Jackson scoring 35 points with 13 assists and DeAndre Jordan going for 21 points with 13 boards.
If the Nuggets matched up that well with the Clippers without their big three – what are they going to do when Jokic, Murray, and Gordon return? Not to mention, the Clippers are just 6-8 since trading for James Harden so why is Denver the underdog again?
Why Los Angeles Has Value at -1
True the Clippers are 6-8 since Harden joined the team, but taking a closer look at that they are 6-3 over their last 9 after dropping the first five since “The Beard” joined the team. It was going to take some time for the likes of Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, and Russell Westbrook to get used to Harden, but that seems like it’s happening now.
The Clippers are starting to gel with all their stars getting familiar with each other, and they’re also a really good team at home going 6-3 at Crypto.com Arena this season. The Nuggets are a solid 14-7 overall this season, but 9-0 at home compared to 5-7 on the road.
L.A. was kind of the laughing stock of social media after their loss to the Nuggets on November 27th when Denver didn’t play their big stars. To make matters worse a couple of ex-Clippers led the shorthanded victory so this one means a bit more to Los Angeles as a sort of in-season revenge game.
Free December 6th Nuggets at Clippers Betting Pick
The line being LAC just -1 when Denver could easily be favored says to take the Clippers – but that could also be overthinking things. The Nuggets lost to the Kings over the weekend, but were also playing on the back-to-back after a victory at the Suns the night before. This is a Denver club about to get hot, and it never hurts when Jackson and Jordan have extra motivation off the bench vs. their old team.
Free Pick: Nuggets +1
