Who’s Playing

Denver @ Los Angeles

Current Records: Denver 28-13; Los Angeles 22-21

What to Know

The Los Angeles Clippers haven’t won a game against the Denver Nuggets since Jan. 11 of last year, but they’ll be looking to end the drought Friday. Los Angeles will take on Denver at 10 p.m. ET at Crypto.com Arena after having had a few days off. Both teams come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous games.

While not quite a landslide, the matchup between the Clippers and the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday was still a pretty decisive one as Los Angeles wrapped it up with a 113-101 win at home. Los Angeles’ small forward Kawhi Leonard was on fire, picking up 33 points in addition to nine rebounds.

Meanwhile, you can’t lose the game if you win every quarter, and that was precisely Denver’s strategy against the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday. The Nuggets were the clear victors by a 126-97 margin over Phoenix. The game was all but wrapped up at the end of the third, by which point Denver had established a 100-75 advantage. Their center Nikola Jokic did his thing and almost dropped a triple-double on 21 points, 18 boards, and nine assists. That makes it three consecutive games in which Jokic has had at least 11 rebounds.

Barring any buzzer beaters, Los Angeles is expected to win a tight contest. Those playing the odds have seen things go back and forth with Los Angeles, who are 21-22 against the spread.

Los Angeles is now 22-21 while the Nuggets sit at 28-13. A pair of offensive stats to keep an eye on: The Clippers are third worst in the league in points per game, with only 109.2 on average. Denver’s offense has more to brag about, as they they rank second in the league when it comes to field goal percentage, with 50.90% on the season.

How To Watch

• When: Friday at 10 p.m. ET
• Where: Crypto.com Arena — Los Angeles, California
• TV: ESPN
• Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
• Follow: CBS Sports App
• Ticket Cost: $15.62

Odds

The Clippers are a slight 1.5-point favorite against the Nuggets, according to the latest NBA odds.

The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 1.5-point spread, and stayed right there.

Over/Under: -111

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Series History

Denver have won 20 out of their last 33 games against Los Angeles.

• Jan 05, 2023 – Denver 122 vs. Los Angeles 91
• Nov 25, 2022 – Denver 114 vs. Los Angeles 104
• Mar 22, 2022 – Denver 127 vs. Los Angeles 115
• Jan 19, 2022 – Denver 130 vs. Los Angeles 128
• Jan 11, 2022 – Los Angeles 87 vs. Denver 85
• Dec 26, 2021 – Denver 103 vs. Los Angeles 100
• May 01, 2021 – Denver 110 vs. Los Angeles 104
• Apr 01, 2021 – Denver 101 vs. Los Angeles 94
• Dec 25, 2020 – Los Angeles 121 vs. Denver 108
• Sep 15, 2020 – Denver 104 vs. Los Angeles 89
• Sep 13, 2020 – Denver 111 vs. Los Angeles 98
• Sep 11, 2020 – Denver 111 vs. Los Angeles 105
• Sep 09, 2020 – Los Angeles 96 vs. Denver 85
• Sep 07, 2020 – Los Angeles 113 vs. Denver 107
• Sep 05, 2020 – Denver 110 vs. Los Angeles 101
• Sep 03, 2020 – Los Angeles 120 vs. Denver 97
• Aug 12, 2020 – Los Angeles 124 vs. Denver 111
• Feb 28, 2020 – Los Angeles 132 vs. Denver 103
• Jan 12, 2020 – Denver 114 vs. Los Angeles 104
• Feb 24, 2019 – Denver 123 vs. Los Angeles 96
• Jan 10, 2019 – Denver 121 vs. Los Angeles 100
• Dec 22, 2018 – Los Angeles 132 vs. Denver 111
• Oct 17, 2018 – Denver 107 vs. Los Angeles 98
• Apr 07, 2018 – Denver 134 vs. Los Angeles 115
• Feb 27, 2018 – Los Angeles 122 vs. Denver 120
• Jan 17, 2018 – Los Angeles 109 vs. Denver 104
• Mar 16, 2017 – Denver 129 vs. Los Angeles 114
• Jan 21, 2017 – Denver 123 vs. Los Angeles 98
• Dec 26, 2016 – Denver 106 vs. Los Angeles 102
• Dec 20, 2016 – Los Angeles 119 vs. Denver 102
• Mar 27, 2016 – Los Angeles 105 vs. Denver 90
• Feb 24, 2016 – Denver 87 vs. Los Angeles 81
• Nov 24, 2015 – Los Angeles 111 vs. Denver 94