Denver Nuggets vs LA Clippers: Odds, Spread, and Total
They’re calling it Game 2, but the Denver Nuggets and LA Clippers have already played more than 48:00 of basketball. Denver carries a 1-0 series lead into tonight’s NBA playoff nightcap at 10 p.m. EST after…
DENVER, COLORADO – APRIL 19: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the LA Clippers drives the ball against Aaron Gordon #32 of the Denver Nuggets in Game One of the Western Conference First Round NBA Playoffs at Ball Arena on April 19, 2025 in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
They're calling it Game 2, but the Denver Nuggets and LA Clippers have already played more than 48:00 of basketball. Denver carries a 1-0 series lead into tonight's NBA playoff nightcap at 10 p.m. EST after winning Saturday's battle 114-112 in OT. Denver overcame a tremendous 32-point double-double from James Harden of the Clippers, who hit a two-point floater with 19 seconds left to take the game into overtime. Serbian superstar Nikola Jokic led the triumphant Nuggets with 29 points.
Game 2 at Ball Arena is considered a very hard game to predict. Betting lines are drawn within a point against the spread, and within pennies on the teams' moneylines to win the follow-up. But there's a subtle touch of water-cooler debates in the Nuggets-Clippers lines that came out on a holiday weekend. Game 2's favored LA Clippers are not only the road team for Game 2, but also the club that had to deal with Game 1's demoralizing loss, and a 0-1 deficit in Round 1.
Should the point spread become a Pick'Em wager by tipoff time, that still shows the Clippers are expected to make up for the Nuggets' home court advantage again, and at least produce an even-handed stalemate at "even" gambling odds. Las Vegas thinks the series might just be tied on its way to SoCal.
Spread
- Nuggets +1.5 (-113)
- Clippers -1 (-105)
Moneyline
- Nuggets +100
- Clippers -110
Total
- Over 216.5 (-110)
- Under 217.5 (-113)
*The above data was collected on April 21, 2025, and may have changed since writing.
Denver Nuggets vs LA Clippers Betting Trends
- The LA Clippers are 8-1 in their last nine games.
- The Clippers are 14-4 ATS in the last 18 games.
- LA is 8-1 ATS in its last nine road games.
- The Denver Nuggets are 4-1 in their last five games.
- Denver is 2-13 ATS in its last 15 games at home.
- Denver is 6-12 ATS in its last 18 games.
Denver Nuggets vs LA Clippers Injury Reports
Denver Nuggets
- Center DaRon Holmes II is out for the year after reparative Achilles surgery.
LA Clippers
- None.
Denver Nuggets vs LA Clippers Predictions and Picks
Is the James Harden factor leading to LA's relatively bright odds for Game 2's rematch? More likely, the game's odds are taking the Clippers' improved team play into account, not just Harden's heroics in his second act as a more dynamic superstar.
As Shubham Singh of The Playoffs recaps, "The Clippers were fantastic in (Game 1) scoring balance. Their starters shot efficiently, but the team committed 20 turnovers, which was the biggest reason for their loss ... The Nuggets will be confident after punching home a close win, but the Clippers fielded a very strong defense too."
Singh's one negative stat on the Clippers points to another prediction, the Vegas point total of 215+ points in Game 2 tonight. Less than 200 points were scored in regulation on Saturday. The over/under line has to stay fairly high with the threat of another OT. But if tonight's game has fewer easy buckets and All-Star moments combined, those boring "under" picks are likely to win after just four quarters.
