Clippers vs. Nuggets NBA Playoffs: Betting Odds, Series Prediction, and Best Bets

The first round of the 2025 NBA playoffs tips off this weekend, and a 4-versus-5 seed showdown between the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Clippers is -- for my money -- the most exciting opening round matchup we've got.

The Clippers went a scorching 15-2 to end the season and are safely the hottest team in basketball. The dog days of the regular season looked a little different for Denver, who shockingly fired head coach Mike Malone with just three games left.

How will this series shake out? Using FanDuel Sportsbook's NBA Playoff Odds, let's check out the best bets for Clippers-Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs.

All NBA betting odds come from FanDuel Sportsbook and may change after this article is published.

Clippers vs. Nuggets Series Betting Odds

There has been some movement in this market.

On Sunday night, Denver opened with -144 odds on FanDuel to win this series.

Two days removed with no new information, the Nuggets are now +100 to win the series and the Clippers are the new favorite with -118 odds.

Did the Nuggets go from overvalued to undervalued?

Best Bets for Clippers vs. Nuggets NBA Playoff Series

Nuggets To Win Series (+100)

Back Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets to win a seven-game series with home court advantage at even money? Cool.

To be clear -- for the first time in years -- we should be scared of the Clippers. Since Kawhi Leonard returned from injury on January 4th, the Clippers check in with the seventh-best offense, second-best defense, the third-best net rating (+7.7), and the seventh-best effective field goal percentage.

Elite is the apt word to use here, and Kawhi isn't the only one making huge contributions. Ivica Zubac is easily having the best season of his career. Past members of the Thunder, Cavs, Celtics, and Nikola Jokic, Zubac led the league in net rating (+9.4) this season. Somehow, he stays out of foul trouble while also protecting the rim and adding in 16.8 points and 12.6 rebounds per game.

Norman Powell is a top-3 third scoring option in the league, and Amir Coffey, Derrick Jones Jr., and Bogdan Bogdanovic round out an underrated bench. Oh, and James Harden appears to be less erratic than normal? This is all to say that I respect the heck out of this Clippers group and wouldn't be floored if they managed a run similar to the Dallas Mavericks in 2024, who also found some huge late-season momentum.

But, despite all the drama in Denver, they rate out as a superb team, have home court advantage -- in Denver, at that -- and feature the most dominant player in the Association.

17 of the last 20 teams to reach the NBA Finals -- not including the 2020 bubble season -- entered the playoffs with a top-10 offense, top-15 net rating, top-13 clutch net rating, and a top-7 EFG%.

The Nuggets rank fourth on offense, ninth in net rating, third in clutch net rating, and second in EFG%, making them one of just two teams in the West -- along with the Thunder -- to hold such marks.

Even in the second half of the season, the Clippers ranked just 21st in clutch net rating.

Denver's been called out for their 21st-ranked defense, but they fare 13th on defense in the clutch and had a middle-of-the-road 15th-ranked D when they won it all back in 2023. Further, not enough has been said about the need for Aaron Gordon. He missed 31 games this season but has been pretty awesome for the Nuggets down the stretch. Gordon leads the team in defensive rating and ranks second in net rating (+9.5) behind only Jokic. In fact, Gordon's net rating would be the best in the NBA among non-Thunder, Celtics, and Cavs players, and Jokic had he qualified for eligible games played this season.

To add, the Clippers went a meh 20-21 on the road this year and have posted a tame +2.9 net rating and 8-8 record on the road since the All-Star break. Give me Denver to advance to the second round.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author’s advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.