What to Watch for in Showdown Between Clippers, Nuggets

The two Western Conference contenders have met just once this season, but neither team was healthy in Denver's win over L.A. in January.

The L.A. Clippers finally look like a team that's hit its stride. The roster is nearly at full strength (Patrick Beverley and Paul George are still on minute restrictions), the 10-man rotation appears to be set and the team has rattled off two convincing wins in a row against middle-of-the-pack opponents — something the Clippers have struggled with almost all season long.

This play couldn't be coming at a better time, either. L.A. has a difficult road to navigate in the coming weeks, and it all starts Friday night at 7:30 Pacific time with a home matchup against the Denver Nuggets. The Clippers are listed as 5.5-point favorites, according to Odds Shark.

Denver isn't the only tough opponent the Clippers having coming up. L.A. has matchups against the Philadelphia 76ers, Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers all in the first week of March. The Nuggets are only the beginning of what's shaping up to be one of the most pivotal stretches of the season.

Winning a majority of those games (most of which are against top-tier teams) so close to the postseason would seriously strengthen the Clippers' argument as title favorites and could be the start of a historic run to the Finals. Each game is personal, and each game is a chance to make a statement to the rest of the league.

The Clippers and Nuggets have already met once this season, which Denver won 104-114. Unsurprisingly, L.A. wasn't able to field a full roster in the loss. George missed the contest due to a hamstring strain, and the Clippers sorely missed his offensive production.

Fortunately, L.A.'s injury report is clean heading into tonight's game, though Beverley and George still aren't able to play their usual minutes. Besides their performances, the biggest thing to keep an eye on will be some key individual matchups.

Nikola Jokic was Denver's top performer last time out, going for 20 points, 15 rebounds and six assists in 31 minutes. The seven-footer shot 3-of-4 from three-point range as well, which is where a majority of his points came from. Jokic was just 3-of-10 from inside the arc, and credit is due to Ivica Zubac for keeping him contained. 

Zu is the only player on the Clippers' roster that has the size and strength to compete with Jokic under the basket — Montrezl Harrell won't be able to cut it. L.A.'s coaches would be wise to match Zu's minutes with Jokic's as best they can to keep him from getting any easy looks in the paint.

But like so many other teams in the West right now, Denver is a two-headed monster with a rising star in Jamal Murray at point.

Murray can be inconsistent from deep, but he's a great all-around guard with athleticism to boot. The 23-year-old is playing some of his best basketball of the season lately, averaging 25.1 points and 6.1 assists per game since returning from a 10-game absence on February 4. 

We'll certainly see plenty of Beverley on Murray, but the Clippers have been switching everything lately. Therefore, it's likely we see George, Kawhi Leonard and potentially Marcus Morris play several defensive possessions against the young guard — especially since Denver is particularly weak on the wing.

For the Clippers, keep an eye on Leonard and Harrell. The two combined for 55 points in their last outing against Denver, and L.A. will need that kind of production again if it hopes to knock off the Western Conference's No. 2 seed.

A win for L.A. would be its third straight, and the team would move to 7-0 when fully healthy.