Clippers at Nuggets
The Los Angeles Clippers are doing a lot more winning than losing lately and they’ll try to continue that trend Friday at the Denver Nuggets. The Clippers have won 11 of 13 after a ho-hum 5-4 start and are playing the fourth of five straight games and 11 of 12 against teams that began Thursday at .500 or below. The Nuggets have lost three straight and seven of eight, putting them on the verge of falling six games under .500 for the first time this season.
The Nuggets are going through a considerably different stretch in their schedule as their last eight opponents have a combined record of 143-52 and the Clippers come in with an 18-7 mark. Two of Denver’s last four losses came in overtime to the Toronto Raptors, the top team in the East, and the Houston Rockets, owner of the third-best mark in the more competitive West. The Nuggets are definitely getting healthier as Kenneth Faried, Danilo Gallinari and Nate Robinson each returned after missing games last week with injuries.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, Prime Ticket (Los Angeles), Altitude (Denver)
ABOUT THE CLIPPERS (18-7): DeAndre Jordan posted the second-highest rebounding game of his career when he grabbed 23 on Wednesday against the visiting Indiana Pacers. He had what could be considered the breakout game of his career four years ago against the Nuggets, posting 14 points, 20 rebounds and six blocked shots in a 13-point win. That was when Denver didn’t have a true center in its starting lineup, so Jordan will have to work a little harder against Timofey Mozgov.
ABOUT THE NUGGETS (10-15): Arron Afflalo is going through a nice stretch for Denver, averaging 21.2 points over the last five games and hitting the tying 3-pointer at the end of regulation in Wednesday’s loss to the Rockets. His only glitch has been the 17 turnovers and seven assists he’s accumulated in that stretch. A native of Los Angeles, Afflalo usually has no problem getting motivated to play well against the Clippers.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Nuggets average an NBA-best 13.1 offensive rebounds a game.
2. Denver PG Ty Lawson has reached double figures in assists in 12 of the last 13 games.
3. Clippers PG Chris Paul is averaging 1.9 steals after averaging 2.1 or more in each of the previous seven seasons, leading the league six of those years.