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The Los Angeles Clippers watched the Lakers collect their championship rings and then punched them in the jaw at Staples Center on Tuesday night. The Clippers went out to a early lead and never really looked back. The Lakers made a few runs but Paul George was fantastic, shaking off some of those playoff demons with 33 points. The Clips didn’t look worse off without Montrezl Harrell and playing without injured PF Marcus Morris.
The Denver Nuggets looked like they were going to have a shot at a comeback win over the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night. Buddy Hield had other ideas. Harrison Barnes forced a turnover in OT and Hield put the game away at the buzzer on a tip-in. So Denver enters an important Western Conference matchup with the Clippers on Christmas already in a 0-1 hole in the standings.
Los Angeles Clippers @ Denver Nuggets, 10:30 p.m. ET
ATS Pick: Clippers -1
Denver fought tooth and nail against the Sacramento Kings in its season opener and the Clippers are on another level. The Clips got out to a huge lead against the Lakers and players will have chips n their shoulders after blowing a 3-1 lead to the Nuggets in last year’s playoffs. The Nuggets have to win to cover the spread here so it just makes sense to roll with the favorite.
Player Prop: Jamal Murray O2.5 3-Pointers (+118)
Murray was pretty off in the season opener against the Sacramento Kings, so I expect a bit of a bounce back here. We all know what Murray did to the Clippers in the postseason. I’d be a little worried about Patrick Beverley, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George really clamping down on Murray, but I think the game script will play in favor of the Nuggets guard. Murray went over 2.5 treys in 3 of 7 games in the playoff series. Getting juice on a shooter like Murray to bang 3 outside shots is something I’ll live and die by.
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