For the third time this season, the Los Angeles Clippers face the Denver Nuggets.
The pregame narrative: The Clippers have enjoyed some success against the Nuggets so far, and I expect Friday’s game to at least be close. My +270 SGP also features prop bets on James Harden and Nikola Jokic.
Check out my Clippers vs. Nuggets same-game parlay predictions for Dec. 13.
Clippers vs. Nuggets predictions
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Parlay: Clippers +9.5 + Harden over 19.5 points + Jokic over 1.5 threes (+270)
Clippers +9.5 (-190): At 16-9-0 ATS this season, the Clippers have been one of the NBA’s best teams when it comes to covering the spread.
And though L.A. has suffered back-to-back home blowout losses entering Friday (vs. Timberwolves, vs. Rockets), I like this team to at least keep the game to a single-digit margin.
- LAC is 2-0 vs. DEN this year, winning both games outright as an underdog.
- The Clippers are 20-5 against a +9.5 spread.
- The Nuggets are just 6-16 against a -9.5 spread.
The Clippers (14-11) also have a slightly better record than the Nuggets (12-10) and are neck-and-neck in terms of net rating.
This is a hearty sum of points to be able to palatably bank with L.A.
SGP legs
Harden over 19.5 points (-240): Harden was the hero when his Clippers downed the Nuggets on Dec. 1. For this parlay, I’m only asking him to be about half as productive now as he was then.
Harden piled up 39 points against Denver, which included a perfect 13-for-13 run at the free throw line.
Back on Oct. 26, Harden went 12-for-13 at the line as part of a 23-point performance against the Nuggets. Considering Denver allows the eighth-fewest free throw attempts per game, that’s a testament to The Beard’s ability to draw whistles.
Whether at the line, beyond the arc, or somewhere in between, I expect Harden to hit this very manageable scoring milestone again tonight.
He’s averaging 21.6 PPG and has cashed this bet in nine of his past 12 games.
Jokic over 1.5 threes (-127): I’d be happy to ride with this as a straight wager, as Jokic continues to produce with exceptional efficiency from 3-point land.
On the season, Jokic is averaging 2.2 makes on 50.0% shooting from deep. Among players attempting at least 4.0 threes per game, that’s the highest 3PT% in the NBA.
Volume is always somewhat of a concern, but that’s ticked up to 5.4 attempted 3s per game over his past eight games.
Jokic has now canned multiple 3s in nine of his past 10.
Picks made at 9:20 a.m. on 12/13/24.
Jordan enjoys writing data-driven game previews and analysis articles — especially for MLB markets or NFL/NBA props. And as a proud Ohio University grad, he’ll always have a soft spot for college sports (especially if the Bobcats are involved). Previous stops include mlb.com, Sportsnet and The Athletic.