It’s winner-take-all when the Denver Nuggets host the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday.
The pregame narrative: Who doesn’t love a Game 7? L.A. eeked out a 111-105 win at home and now has a chance to knock Nikola Jokic and Co. out of the playoffs in their own building. The winner of this matchup will take on the Oklahoma City Thunder in Round 2.
Check out my Clippers vs. Nuggets prop picks on Norman Powell and Jamal Murray for Game 7 of the NBA first-round playoff series.
Clippers vs. Nuggets picks
Best bet: Powell over 16.5 points (-130)
Los Angeles wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for Powell.
The veteran guard dropped 24 points in Game 6 on an efficient 9-of-15 shooting, hitting a huge three to put the game out of reach with just under two minutes to go.
Harden and Leonard are L.A.’s top scoring options, but Powell needs to be involved if the Clippers want a chance to advance.
The former Toronto Raptor is 3-0 against this line at home and 0-3 against it on the road, but that’s been more due to shooting percentage than volume:
- Averages at home: 22.0 PPG, 57.5 FG%
- Averages on the road: 12.3 PPG, 39.4 FG%
Powell is going to get his shots up no matter what — he’s taken at least 12 in every game — and I’m banking on some positive regression at altitude.
He averaged more PPG on the road (22.6) than at home (21.1) during the regular season, and Denver has gotten routinely torched by shooting guards.
Key stat: The Nuggets allowed the third-most points (23.71) and 3s (3.65) per game to SGs this year, according to Fantasy Pros.
Game 7 prop prediction
Murray over 10.5 rebounds and assists (-130): Murray has done his best Jokic impression over the last three games, stuffing the stat sheet across the board:
- Game 6: 8 rebounds, 8 assists
- Game 5: 5 rebounds, 7 assists
- Game 4: 7 rebounds, 7 assists
The Canadian is 4-2 against this line this series, with another monster nine-rebound, seven-assist performance in Game 1.
Murray is getting huge minutes for Denver (42.0 a night). He will have plenty of assist opportunities running the pick and roll with Jokic.
All but one of his rebounds this series have been on the defensive end. So, it seems like Denver is committed to clearing out and letting the point guard get the ball when possible.
Clippers vs. Nuggets prop picks made at 9:57 a.m. ET 05/02/2025.
Avery joined NorthStar Gaming as an intern in 2022 before stepping into a full-time role soon after. He loves betting on and analyzing golf — mainly because it’s easier than actually playing — but is a fan of all sports, from the NFL to the UFC.