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Clippers vs Nuggets 2025 Series Game One Preview
The Clippers’ first round series against the Nuggets kicks off on the road in Denver.
Game
Information
Where: Ball Arena, Denver, Colorado
When: 12:30 PM PT
How to Watch: ESPN, FanDuel Sports SoCal, AM 570
Projected
Starting Lineups
Clippers: James Harden – Norm Powell – Kris Dunn – Kawhi Leonard – Ivica Zubac
Nuggets: Jamal Murray – Christian Braun – Michael Porter Jr. – Aaron Gordon – Nikola Jokic
Injuries
Clippers: None
Nuggets: Da’Ron Holmes Out (Achilles)
Notes
Who Plays for the Clippers: This is obviously an important question. After going with a 10-man rotation for most of the year, Ty Lue cut his rotation to nine late in the season, omitting Amir Coffey. Ty has multiple options. He could keep the end-of-season rotation at nine, he could excise Ben Simmons and go with eight guys, or he could take out Ben and put in someone else (Amir or Drew Eubanks). Regardless, Ben’s spot seems the shakiest after a rough close to the season, and with Nic Batum healthy the Clippers should be able to go without Ben for the non-Jokic minutes. My guess is Ben does start out in the rotation, but receives few minutes and is kept on a very, very short least.
Who Plays for the Nuggets: The Nuggets’ starting five is locked in. Russell Westbrook is their sixth man. After that, things get a bit hazy. Peyton Watson has probably solidified his spot as the 7th man, but if his offense gets too bad Denver might have to look elsewhere. As for who their 8th man is, the most likely choice is Julian Strawther, but his shaky defense and decision-making might put the coaching staff off him. Jalen Pickett is a steadier option but doesn’t have the upside of Strawther. DeAndre Jordan is a great veteran, but does he have enough in the tank for a playoff series of this magnitude? Does David Adelman reach even deeper into the bench for Zeke Naji? I would anticipate Strawther getting the first nod, but nothing would surprise me for the back half of Denver’s rotation.
The Turnover Battle: The Clippers’ biggest issue on offense all year was their turnovers. Some of those issues were caused by their lack of a second true perimeter shot creator after James Harden, but a lot of them were just sloppiness. The Clippers absolutely can’t turn the ball over against the Nuggets, as Nikola Jokic might be the single scariest transition player in the NBA due to his insane passing and ability to make the right read 99% of the time. The Clippers’ transition defense improved as the season went along, but it’s still a lot worse than their rock solid halfcourt defense, so there’s that factor too. If the Clippers can keep their turnovers down, they will be in a much better place on both ends of the court.
Pressure Jamal: Jamal Murray missed a lot of time down the stretch of the season with a hamstring injury, and while he played the last two games of the regular season, it seems unlikely he’s at 100%. The Clippers need to throw him out of rhythm on offense, and should have a perfect cadre of players with which to do so in Kris Dunn, Derrick Jones Jr., and Nic Batum. I’d love to see full court pressure, even light pressure, for as much as possible. On the other end, Murray will likely be matched up with Norm Powell, who has had his own struggles of late. However, Norm needs to attack Murray and make him move. The Clippers can’t let him off the hook in this series; if they can slow him down, it will weaken the entire Nuggets’ attack by a significant margin.
Clippers vs Nuggets 2025 Series Game One Preview
Robert Flom