Clippers vs. Denver Nuggets preview
Clippers forward Blake Griffin, center, is blocked out by Denver Nuggets teammates Jusuf Nurkic, left, and Danilo Gallinari during a game at Staples Center on Jan. 26.
The Clippers will play at Denver against the Nuggets on Saturday at 6 p.m.
The Clippers are in fifth place in the Western Conference with a record of 50-26, but they are only two games behind the second-place Houston Rockets with six games remaining in the regular season. The Clippers have won eight of their last nine games, only losing to the first-place Golden State Warriors over that run.
The Nuggets are in 12th place in the Western Conference with a record of 28-48. They’ve already been eliminated from the playoffs and have lost their last three games.
The teams have split their games so far this season. When they played Dec. 19 in Denver, the Nuggets won, 109-106. When the teams played at Staples Center on Jan. 26, the Clippers won, 102-98.
Denver is known for being one of the most difficult cities to play in because of the altitude. The Nuggets have won five of their last seven at home, and 14 of their last 16 games at home against the Clippers.
One thing that the Clippers really have going for them right now is Chris Paul’s incredible play. Over the team’s last nine games, he’s averaged 25.4 points and 11.6 assists a game, a jump from his already impressive season average of 19.2 points and 10.2 assists a game.
After playing at Denver on Saturday, the Clippers host the Nuggets at Staples Center in the teams’ final matchup of the season on April 13.
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