The Clippers take on the Denver Nuggets for the third time this season on Wednesday night, but it will be their first road trip to Denver. The season series is split though two games—and the average margin of victory is just 2.5. In December, the Clippers’ late game comeback fell short; in January, though, they got the job done, coming back from down 25.

The Clippers have a chance to get back to .500, but the Nuggets will have the talent advantage and home court this time around.

Game Information

Where: Pepsi Center, Denver CO

When: 7:00 PM PT

How to Watch: ESPN, Bally Sports SoCal

Projected Starting Lineups

Clippers: Reggie Jackson – Amir Coffey – Marcus Morris – Nicolas Batum – Ivica Zubac

Nuggets: Monté Morris – Will Barton – Aaron Gordon – Jeff Green – Nikola Jokić

Injuries

Clippers: Questionable: Luke Kennard (reconditioning); Out: Paul George (elbow), Keon Johnson (G-League), Kawhi Leonard (knee), Jason Preston (foot), Jay Scrubb (G-League).

Nuggets: Questionable: Austin Rivers (illness), Out: JaMychal Green (protocols), Bol Bol (foot), Vatko Cancar (foot), Michael Porter Jr. (back), PJ Dozier (knee), Jamal Murray (knee).

The Big Picture

The Clippers have been a rollercoaster as of late: In 2022, they have beaten the Durant and Harden led Nets on the road and pulled off a 25-point comeback against the reigning MVP. On the other hand, they have lost to three teams below them in the standings (T’Wolves, Pelicans, and Spurs).

The good news is that the Clippers are slowly starting to reassemble: Isaiah Hartenstein is back after missing almost a month and Luke Kennard is *just about* back after two weeks in protocols. Neither Hartenstein nor Kennard were available for the epic comeback, so—in theory—the Clippers should be able to avoid going down 25 points in the first place, even if Luke is not quite back.

Another source of cautious optimism is that the Clippers seem to be learning how to play without Paul George (well, we at least have the data suggesting how the Clippers should play). Amir Coffey has taken on more responsibility in respect to scoring and playmaking, Eric Bledsoe has established himself as a steading force, who Ty Lue can (and more often should) turn to when the Clippers offense is stagnant, and, with guys coming back from protocols and injuries, we will at least see fewer minutes from fringe NBA guys. Admittedly, these are small hooks on which to hang one’s hat, but they are positive developments nonetheless.

The Antagonist

The bad news is Nikola Jokić is still really good, and the Nuggets are 11-8 at home (the Clippers are 7-11 on the road). The Clippers needed a herculean effort to beat them by 2 points last week, which almost certainly won’t happen again. Moreover, the Clippers needed 32 second-half points from Nico Batum to beat the beleaguered Pacers at home. The Clippers will need more even production from Reggie Jackson and Marcus Morris, Sr., in addition to Amir continuing his recent high production. This small margin for error has been tough for the Clippers to manage as of late, and it will be again on this road trip.

Notes

  • Grammys Road Trip: The Clippers are about to start an eight-game road trip. They are currently eighth in the West (22-23), one loss behind the Lakers, two behind the Nuggets, and are only ahead of the Timberwolves (who have 22 losses) in the standings because they’ve played more games. This Nuggets game is much more winnable than some others on this road trip, so the Clippers need to chase this one, even if they’re down late.
  • Paul George Injury Update: According to Woj/ ESPN, the Clippers are extending George’s rest window. We do not really know if this is truly an update on the status of his elbow injury—only that he will not be coming back on the early end of the initial 4-6 week projection.
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