The Denver Nuggets are back in action tonight following two days off and a disappointing loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Denver will look to get back on track as they welcome the Los Angeles Clippers to town for a primetime showdown on TNT.
These two teams squared off earlier this season back on November 25th in a game the Nuggets won 114-104 thanks to 29 points from Aaron Gordon. The Nuggets will be hoping for more of the same tonight, but it may be a different story as Kawhi Leonard and Paul George missed the first matchup between these two.
The Essentials
Who: Denver Nuggets (24-13, 14-3 home) vs. Los Angeles Clippers (21-18, 10-10 away)
When: 8:00 p.m. MST
Where: Ball Arena
How to watch/listen: TNT (Yay, national TV) and can be heard on 92.5 FM KKSE Altitude Sports Radio
Rival Blog: Clips Nation
Expected Starting Lineups:
LAC: PG Reggie Jackson, SG Paul George, SF Kawhi Leonard, PF Marcus Morris Sr., C Ivica Zubac
DEN: PG Jamal Murray, SG Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, SF Michael Porter Jr., PF Aaron Gordon, C Nikola Jokic
Injuries: Collin Gillespie (leg), Jeff Green (hand/finger) OUT, Nicolas Batum (left ankle sprain) OUT, Paul George (hamstring) QUESTIONABLE
Three Things to Watch
Can the Nuggets slow down Kawhi Leonard and Paul George?
Even though he is listed as questionable, I except George will play seeing as the Clippers also haven’t played since Monday. With that being said, George has started to find his groove as of late scoring 45 points in the Clippers game against the Indiana Pacers last week.
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The same can be said for Leonard, who is starting to find a rhythm even though the Clippers have now lost three games in a row. That duo is pretty terrifying for a Nuggets team that has struggled with defense all season long. Denver is going to have to slow at least one of them down if they want to make their lives easier and come out of tonight with a win.
Who steps up alongside Nikola Jokic?
Jokic always seems to perform well against the Clippers and Ivica Zubac, but Denver will need some other players to carry the load if they want to pull off the victory. The Nuggets have done a really solid job this year of getting contributions from nearly everyone and it’s something that often changes on a nightly basis.
Some nights it’s Jamal Murray, other nights it could be Michael Porter Jr., and all season long the Nuggets have got awesome production out of Aaron Gordon. I expect one of three to have a really big game tonight and who knows maybe all three of them will.
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How many minutes does Christian Braun play?
Braun’s minutes have gone down lately and his lack of minutes has gone hand in hand with the Nuggets struggling defense. Finding a way to get Braun on the floor can be key for the Nuggets defensive success and I expect Nuggets head coach Michael Malone to find a way to get the talented rookie on the floor tonight.
