Clippers vs. Nuggets Prediction and Odds: Gordon’s Buzzer-Beater Bred Confidence?

The Los Angeles Clippers are headed back to Mile-High for Game 5 against the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday with the series knotted at 2-2.

The Nuggets responded to a 34-point blowout loss with a two-point win in Game 4 courtesy of Aaron Gordon’s buzzer-beating put-back dunk. The dramatic finish breathed new life into a Denver team that had dropped two straight games and was on the verge of falling behind 3-1, a deficit from which only 13 teams have recovered in NBA history.

The Clippers were a much better team at home than they were on the road, yet they’re 1-1 at both venues in this series. Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, Ivica Zubac, and Norman Powell all showed up for the series, but they’re going to have to raise their game to another level to get past the 2023 champs.

Here, I will break down the odds and share my best Clippers vs. Nuggets betting picks for Game 5.

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Clippers vs. Nuggets Betting Odds for Tuesday, April 29

The Clippers are 50-36 (58.1 percent) against the spread, 21-22 (48.8 percent) ATS on the road, and 29-21 (58 percent) ATS as a favorite.

The Nuggets are 39-46-1 (45.9 percent) ATS, 18-24-1 (42.9 percent) ATS at home, and 12-11 (52.2 percent) ATS as an underdog.

Odds from BetMGM Sportsbook. Use our BetMGM promo code WSNSPORTS to get up to $1,500 in bonus bets*.

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Clippers vs. Nuggets Prediction

Los Angeles Clippers Preview

The Clippers look like one of the best teams in the NBA. They won 20 of their last 25 games and have often appeared to be the better team in the series, with both of their losses coming by exactly two points.

The Clips held the high-powered Nuggets offense, which ranked fourth with a 118.9 offensive rating during the regular season, to just 106.1 points per 100 possessions in the series. They’ve also been efficient on offense, ranking fifth of all playoff teams in offensive rating.

The efficiency of LA’s best players has been remarkable. Their top four averaged…

• Leonard: 26.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.8 steals, 56.2% FG, 47.6% 3PT

• Harden: 21.3 points, 9.5 assists, 1.3 blocks, 45.3% FG, 40% 3PT

• Zubac: 18.8 points, 11.5 rebounds, 64.7% FG

• Powell: 16.8 points, 1.5 steals, 47.1% FG, 42.3% 3PT

The Clippers also held Jokic to less than 30 points in three of four games. While he’s a terrific passer, the Nuggets’ two series wins came in Jokic’s highest-scoring games, which were Game 1 (29 points) and Game 4 (36 points).

There’s been virtually no separation between the teams in clutch time. One of the largest discrepancies came on the boards, where the Clippers ranked just 13th in rebound rate among playoff teams. That’s despite being a strong rebounding team in their own right.

One of the battles to watch in Game 5 is how the Clippers handle Jokic. Did he figure something out in Game 4, or will their approach of playing him straight-up but keeping eyes on him at all times continue to prove to be fruitful?

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Denver Nuggets Preview

The Nuggets defense was a sore spot throughout the season and likely played a role in the dismissal of former coach Michael Malone. That hasn’t come to be an issue in the postseason, as although they’re 12th among playoff teams in defensive rating, they posted 108.9 and 110.0 ratings in their losses. Both of those are impressive enough to win more times than not.

Rather than point the finger at the defense, the team’s offense has been the culprit in their inability to separate themselves from the Clippers. Jamal Murray averaged 20 points per game but only shot 42 percent from the field, and Michael Porter Jr. and Christian Braun both averaged 10.5 points per game on worse than 43 percent shooting.

An interesting nugget, pun intended, is that Denver is second in offensive rebound percentage but only eighth in second-chance points per game. They would do themselves a favor if they can find out how to convert those extra opportunities into easy points, especially with their offense failing to hit the heights it is accustomed to.

A sign of Denver’s offense being out of rhythm is its turnover rate, which is the fourth-highest of all playoff squads. That should never be the case with Jokic, the best passer and player in the world, at the controls and easily playing more than 42 minutes per night.

The Nuggets are a historically dominant home team. They weren’t as unstoppable there as they were in years past, but they should get a boost from returning to their comforting environment. 

Russell Westbrook is questionable for Game 5 due to a foot injury. Although he is wildly divisive, his absence would force the Nuggets to potentially play at least one player the entire second half due to their lack of trustworthy bench pieces.

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Clippers vs. Nuggets Betting Pick

• Clippers vs. Nuggets pick: Nuggets +1.5 (-105) at BetMGM 

Three of the four games in this series were as close as you could ever imagine. It feels like the Clippers have thoroughly outplayed the Nuggets, yet they find themselves with just as many wins as the team they’re about to meet on the road.

It will be interesting to see which fades first, the Clippers’ remarkable efficiency from their top guys, or Denver’s newfound defensive intensity. Similarly, I’m interested to see if Jokic will continue to assert himself as a scorer, or if a teammate will step up to help carry the load.

Denver has a rabid fan base that will be full of energy after Gordon’s Game 4 heroics. The Nuggets haven’t had a great game in this series, and I believe they will pull it out of the hat to take a 3-2 series lead (but I’m betting the spread just to be safe).

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How to Watch Clippers vs. Nuggets on 4/29/25

• When: Tuesday, April 29 @ 8:00/10:00 p.m. ET/PT

• Where: Ball Arena, Denver, CO

• TV: TNT/Max