The Denver Nuggets will face the Los Angeles Clippers in the upcoming 2025 NBA Playoffs. This matchup featuring key names like Nikola Jokic, James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, and Jamal Murray will be a must-watch for all basketball fans. The 2023 NBA Champions, Denver, face a major challenge as the Clippers are nearly fully healthy for this series.
The Nuggets are going into the playoffs with a three-game win streak after a major change in their coaching staff shook the NBA world when they let Michael Malone go. He was replaced at the helm by David Adelman in the interim. The coach’s departure raised concerns over the team’s success in the near future. However, the Nuggets came out strong from adversity in the regular season.
Nevertheless, the Playoffs are the true test of coaching and fundamentals for a team. Therefore, this series will also indicate if Jokic and Murray’s team has retained their championship-caliber style of play. Jokic ended the season averaging a triple-double, joining Oscar Robertson and Russell Westbrook as the only players in NBA history to do so. Jokic averaged 29.6 points, 12.7 rebounds, and 10.2 assists after starting in 70 games this season.
The Clippers are stacked with offensive and defensive talent. Three 20-point scorers in the season, Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, and Norman Powell, will lead the offensive charge for the Clippers. A healthy Kawhi Leonard throughout the series could be the difference-maker for this team.
While he only played 37 games this season, Kawhi Leonard averaged 21.5 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game. James Harden is the key facilitator on this Clippers team, but he can easily burn the Nuggets with his microwave scoring abilities. Harden averaged 22.8 points, 8.7 assists, and 5.8 rebounds in 79 games played this season.
Let’s take a look at the head-to-head playoff history between these two teams:
– Playoff Games Record: 5-7 in favor of the LA Clippers
– Playoff Series Record: 1-1 tied
– Last Meeting: 2020 Western Conference First Round (Denver Nuggets beat LA Clippers 4-3)
– Leading Scorers in this match-up: Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets) – 24.4 ppg, Kawhi Leonard (LA Clippers) – 24.3 ppg, Jamal Murray (Denver Nuggets) – 22.6 ppg, Paul George (LA Clippers) – 21.7 ppg, Montrezl Harrell (LA Clippers) – 11.7 ppg
In the 2024-25 regular season, these teams split the season series 2-2. However, Kawhi Leonard missed all the games between these two teams, sidelined with knee injury issues.
Who Could Be The X-Factors For Denver Nuggets?
While Jokic and Murray will top the scouting report for the Clippers, the X-factors for Denver will be Michael Porter Jr. and Aaron Gordon. Porter Jr is capable of shooting lights out against any team. He shot 39.5% from beyond the arc for the season with 6.4 attempts per game. Therefore, he made at least 2 (if not more) threes per game.
Moreover, Gordon was arguably the X-factor for the Nuggets in their 2023 NBA championship run. Gordon’s season had been riddled with injuries that only allowed him to play 51 games in the season. However, his explosive athleticism, efficiency near the rim, and from beyond the 3pt line make him an imminent threat for the Clippers.
He shot 53.1% from the field and 43.1% from beyond the 3-point line. With all being said, Gordon could be a huge factor in this series against the Clippers.
Who Could Be The X-Factors For LA Clippers?
As mentioned earlier in this analysis, the LA Clippers have three 20-point scorers this season. James Harden and Kawhi Leonard will likely top the scouting report for the Nuggets. However, Norman Powell and Ivica Zubac will be the X-factors for the Clippers. Powell stepped up in Kawhi Leonard’s absence to take up the scoring load while Harden struck the balance between playmaking and scoring. Norman Powell averaged 21.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 60 games played this season.
Ivica Zubac has quietly become a dominating figure for the Clippers inside the paint. Racking up multiple games with 20 rebounds or more, Zubac is an imminent threat for lobs inside the paint and second-chance opportunities. He even recorded a triple-double against the Houston Rockets this season, showing that he can be a playmaker as well. Zubac averaged 16.8 points, 12.6 rebounds, and 2.7 assists in 80 games played this season.
Can the Denver Nuggets Overcome The LA Clippers In The First Round Of The 2025 NBA Playoffs?
The Nuggets nearly have the same core that beat Kawhi Leonard’s Clippers in the 2020 NBA Playoffs (COVID Bubble season). Jokic, coming out of an MVP-caliber season, will still need Murray and Porter Jr. to step up as the second and third options on offense.
However, instead of Paul George, the Clippers have a new problem to tackle in James Harden. Harden could drop 15-20 assists on one night and 40 points on another. His offensive bag (with step-back threes and floaters in the paint) makes him a Pandora’s box for the Nuggets, not knowing what to expect from him.
That being said, while the Clippers may have an answer for Jokic inside the paint with Zubac, the Nuggets have no reliable defensive pieces to stop all three (Harden, Leonard, and Powell) on the perimeter. Gordon may be good on defense, but he cannot stop all three.
If the Clippers space the floor properly, they have the upper hand in this series, despite not having the home-court advantage in the series. But that conclusion is based upon the assumption that the Clippers will find a solution to stop Jokic. If Jokic plays his best basketball, there are not many players in the league who can guard him.
It will be interesting to see how a championship-level team like Denver will fare against a team seeking vengeance. The last time these sides met in the playoffs, the Clippers bottled a 3-1 series lead to the Nuggets. Will Kawhi Leonard get redemption for the Clippers against the Nuggets? Or will Nikola Jokic and team prevail in the intense test of a playoff series without their championship-winning coach, Michael Malone?
My Prediction: Clippers win in 7 games
