The wait is over. The post season is finally here. The Denver Nuggets can’t claim it was smooth sailing into the post season but they’re here. They’re last week of the regular season started with their head coach and general manager being fired and then finished with a mad dash to avoid the play-in. The Nuggets responded to the adversity, winning their final three games of the year to secure the four seed and earn the right to matchup with the hottest team in the NBA: the Los Angeles Clippers. The Clippers are benefitting from the return of a healthy Kawhi Leonard who looks to be back in the form that made him a two times Finals MVP. James Harden is still looking for playoff glory and will be motivated by the best chance at a title he’s seen in years. To top it off, Ivica Zubac, Nikola Jokic’s primary matchup in this series, may very well end up winning the Most Improved Player of the Year award. It’s got all the makings of a classic playoff series.
The Essentials
Who: Denver Nuggets (0-0) vs Los Angeles Clippers (0-0)
When: 1:30 PM MDT
Where: The Can. Denver, CO.
How to watch/listen: Denver Stiffs does not condone piracy, unless it’s the romanticized 17th century type. ESPN, Altitude TV, Altitude +, Altitude Radio 92.5 FM
Rival Blog: 213 Hoops
The Matchup
| Position | Nuggets | Clippers | Advantage |
| PG | Jamal Murray | Kris Dunn | Nuggets |
| SG | Christian Braun | James Harden | Clippers |
| SF | Michael Porter Jr. | Norman Powell | Even |
| PF | Aaron Gordon | Kawhi Leonard | Clippers |
| C | Nikola Jokic | Ivica Zubac | Nuggets |
| Bench | Russell Westbrook, Peyton Watson, DeAndre Jordan, Jalen Pickett | Bogdan Bogdanovic, Ben Simmons, Derrick Jones Jr., Amir Coffey | Even |
Injury report: Daron Holmes II – out (achilles).
The Three Things
The thing to watch for: Playoff Jamal
It’s go time for the Nuggets and likewise Jamal Murray. A historic playoff riser, the Nuggets are counting on Jamal to once again be the secondary scorer to Jokic and come up big in the clutch. Denver has the benefit of Murray being probably as healthy as they’ve had him all season. By avoiding the play-in they got him an extra week to rest his hamstring while putting his other ailments that much further behind him. It won’t be easy. Kris Dunn has found his role in the league as a premier defensive point guard and he’ll be harassing Murray all night long. Great offense tends to rise above great defense one on one in basketball though. If the Nuggets want to get off to a good start, it starts with Murray.
The thing to remember: not much you can take from the regular season matchups
The Nuggets and the Clippers faced each other four times this season, splitting the series two games a piece. Despite playing the most games possible against one another this year, I wouldn’t read much into those contests. Leonard was missing for all of them, meanwhile only one of the contests featured Aaron Gordon at full strength and that was way back in November as the third game of the season. Both teams appear to be peaking at the same time, but the Clippers peak is a much larger sample size. This may be the matchup in the playoffs we know the least about heading in.
The thing to bet: Christian Braun alternate line 2+ three pointers (+200)
Currently Christian Braun’s over/under for three pointers sits at 0.5 with the over giving you a putrid payout at -235. Bump that over up to 1.5 though and now you’re in +200 territory. The Clippers are going to pick their poison. They’re going to put Dunn on Murray, Zubac on Jokic, and throw Kawhi at whoever the hot man on the perimeter is. At some point in this series Braun may make the Clippers focus on him, but I’m guessing Game 1 they’re going to live with Christian scoring, so long as it’s not in the fast break. Risky business with a 40% three point shooter who’s not afraid of big moments.
