Playoff seeds are on the line when the Nuggets (40-18) travel to Los Angeles to face the Clippers (39-19).
“Our whole focus is on beating the Clippers. Obviously, they are right behind us in the standings,” Nuggets head coach Michael Malone told reporters after Thursday’s practice. “It’s kind of unique, but a lot of the games down the stretch, we’re going to be [facing] teams that are fighting for playoffs spots. I want to make sure we’re playing our best basketball going into the playoffs and finding a rhythm on both ends of the floor.”
Denver enters this contest coming off two straightforward wins over Minnesota and Detroit and appeared to be clicking on all cylinders in the latter contest. The Nuggets held the Pistons to just 40.7 percent shooting and saw their bench explode for 60 points. After facing two of the Eastern Conference’s worst teams, the challenge raises dramatically against the Clippers.
Los Angeles is just a game back from Denver in the standings, underlying the importance of this contest. Doc Rivers’ team is 6-4 in its last 10 games and some of that unevenness might be attributed to working in new faces. Despite having one of the best records in the league prior to February, the Clippers were one of the most active teams in adding personnel, acquiring two valuable veterans in Marcus Morris Sr. and Reggie Jackson. Prior to its current two-game win streak, the team experienced a three-game slide between Feb. 11-22 – a stretch where its defensive rating ballooned from 106.3 (fifth in the NBA) to 110.7.
Aside from that blip, the Clippers remain one of the elite defensive teams and Malone knows his team has its work cut out for it.
“We’re supposed to beat Minnesota, we supposed to beat Detroit – no disrespect to them,” Malone said. “Now, can we continue to win the games that maybe people aren’t giving us a chance to win?”
The Nuggets handily beat the Clippers at Pepsi Center during the first encounter between the two teams, winning 114-104 on Jan. 12. It was the team’s third-straight win against their Western Conference foe, but Paul George didn’t play in that contest. It will be interesting to see how the matchup looks with both teams at full strength.
Projected Starters: Jamal Murray, Gary Harris, Will Barton III, Paul Millsap, Nikola Jokić
TUNE IN: 8:30 MT, TV: ALTITUDE, ESPN, RADIO: KKSE 92.5FM
Here is what to watch for:
Keep George quiet
George is in a bit of a cold stretch this month, averaging 15.4 points on 41 percent shooting to go along with 5.9 rebounds and 4.4 assists in nine games in February. The Nuggets can’t afford to allow him to gain confidence Friday.
Although George only won once against the Nuggets during his two-year stint with the Thunder, he has had some memorable games against the team. In Feb. 01, 2018, the swingman dropped 43 on 19 of 26 shooting to go along with five boards and five dimes in a 127-124 loss in Denver. Last season, in another OKC loss on Dec. 14, 2018, George poured in 32 points on 12 of 24 shooting.
It hasn’t all been one-sided though. George has had his share of clunkers against Denver, including a 7 of 24 outing on Feb. 26, 2019 and a woeful 3 of 13 night in the Thunder’s 95-94 victory on Dec. 18, 2017.
The key will be assuring George doesn’t get hot early from downtown, where he shoots almost half of his attempts and converts at almost 40 percent (38.9 percent). Forcing him to be a jump shooter, where he hits at just 38.5 percent inside the arc, and exert energy on defense could help in limiting his effectiveness.
Don’t beat yourselves
With a roster that features Kawhi Leonard, George, Morris Sr. and Pat Beverley, the Clippers have several plus defenders who can make life miserable for opposing offenses. This is a team that doesn’t need to double team and has several players capable of switching matchups when needed.
Although there are some new faces in the second matchup between these two teams, the Nuggets need to emulate what worked well for them the last time they beat the Clippers: Limit turnovers and hit threes.
Denver conceded just 13 turnovers and hit 44 percent from downtown, taking smart threes within the rhythm of the offense. Here’s an interesting stat: The Clippers force 14.8 turnovers in wins. That number drops to 13.5 in their 19 losses.
Win the bench battle
The Clippers have plenty of firepower on their bench, featuring well-known players like Lou Williams, Jackson, Montrezl Harrell and Landry Shamet. It is arguably the best second unit in the NBA, with a plus/minus of 2.5 (fourth in the NBA). As good as the group is, the Nuggets have enough talent of their own to match Los Angeles' output. Who plays will be the challenge in this matchup.
Against the Thunder last week, the Nuggets played 10 players and it backfired in their 113-101 loss. Since that defeat, Malone has largely gone with a nine-man rotation and two players appear to be benefitting from the move: Monte Morris and Jerami Grant.
Morris is playing some of the best basketball of his young career in February, averaging 11.9 points, 4.2 assists and a sizzling 132 offensive rating. He has just six turnovers over his last nine games. Grant is also picking up his production recently.
The reserve forward dropped a career-high 29 points against the Pistons Tuesday and is averaging 14 points on 54 percent shooting in his last five outings. The Nuggets will need both men to continue their recent efforts on Friday if they want to steal a win in Los Angeles.