NBA Playoff Preview 2025: #4 Denver Nuggets vs. #5 Los Angeles Clippers

NBA Playoff Preview 2025: #4 Denver Nuggets vs. #5 Los Angeles Clippers

We are so back. It’s the NBA Playoffs! So, of course, Vendetta Sports Media is back with its NBA playoff preview for each matchup in the playoffs. This one has the Nuggets and the Clippers, two teams that are trending in different directions. Enough foreplay, let’s get into the action and analyze this NBA playoff preview.

First, here’s the series schedule for this 2025 First Round playoff matchup:

GAME	DATE	MATCHUP	TIME	TV
Game 1	Saturday, April 19th	Clippers @ Nuggets	3:30 p.m. ET	ESPN
Game 2	Monday, April 21st	Clippers @ Nuggets	10:00 p.m. ET	TNT
Game 3	Thursday, April 24th	Nuggets @ Clippers	TBD	NBA TV
Game 4	Saturday, April 26th	Nuggets @ Clippers	6:00 p.m. ET	TNT
Game 5*	Tuesday, April 29th	Clippers @ Nuggets	TBD	TBD
Game 6*	Thursday, May 1st	Nuggets @ Clippers	TBD	TBD
Game 7*	Saturday, May 3rd	Clippers @ Nuggets	TBD	TBD

*If needed

What to know about the Denver Nuggets:

Notable starters:

• G: Jamal Murray
• G: Christian Braun
• F: Michael Porter Jr.
• F: Aaron Gordon
• C: Nikola Jokic

Other players in the playoff rotation:

• Russell Westbrook
• Julian Strawther
• Peyton Watson
• DeAndre Jordan

It should be mentioned that the only reason why DeAndre Jordan is only on here is because Nikola Jokic needs to sit sometimes, and I could have put Dario Saric, but that’s where we are at when Nikola Jokic needs a break, Jordan or Saric, yikes. The Denver Nuggets have a culture problem; let’s call a spade a spade. Trey is making his victory laps because he knows this is about Russell Westbrook, as he hates him. The Nuggets fired Mike Malone and Calvin Booth right before the playoffs. A dazzling move, especially right before the playoffs. Mike Malone is a great coach and probably shouldn’t have been fired. Calvin Booth is the real villain in this story.

Anyway, this team is still trying to figure itself out, and it’s April. They won playing essentially “give the ball to Jokic and let him cook,” they won 50 games that way. That’s the regular season though, coaching matters in the playoffs. This is probably where Mike Malone would have been helpful, but what do I know? It’ll be interesting to see how the Nuggets counter the Clippers, who are finding their form at just the right time. Jamal Murray is much like Danny Phantom and will turn into a ghost in many games and playoff series. The Nuggets have to rely heavily on Murray as a secondary scoring option, and he hasn’t been up to the task a lot of the time. Michael Porter Jr. is paid too much just to be a shoote,r and Aaron Gordon doesn’t have the shooting or the bag to space out the floor like the Nuggets need.

I am worried about this team. Russell Westbrook will want to win so bad that he might play them out of games. He has the heart to win, but not always the talent or the awareness to understand that he doesn’t need the ball in his hands at all time. Sometimes the game plan is to give it to Jokic and get the hell out of the way. The Nuggets excel with Jokic spacing out the floor and having Gordon and MPJ cut for points. However, Kawhi will be a nightmare help defender for the Nuggets. The Clippers will force the Nuggets to shoot their way into games, and that might not be the best for Denver.

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What to know about the Los Angeles Clippers:

Notable Starters:

• G: James Harden
• G: Kris Dunn
• F: Norman Powell
• F: Kawhi Leonard
• C: Ivica Zubac

Other players in the playoff rotation:

• Bogdan Bogdanovic
• Derrick Jones Jr.
• Nicolas Batum

The Clippers have gone 18-5 since March. They’re trending in the right direction at the perfect time. This team has pieces that fit together. While the team might lack serious star power after Kawhi Leonard and James Harden, the team works well together to put wins together. James Harden hasn’t annoyed me as much this year, granted the NBA Media hasn’t meat-ridden him as much since SGA is the new Harden. But, he’s actually played well and hasn’t foul-baited nearly as much as a few years ago. He facilitates the ball well per usual and complements Kawhi Leonard well by picking up a lot of the attention so Kawhi doesn’t have to score every time down the stretch.

Kawhi Leonard, when healthy, which is a huge component, is one of the best two-way players in the NBA. He just can’t stay healthy. He’s a bad man when he’s playing, though, and no one can deny that. The Clippers will run their offense through James Harden and Kawhi Leonard, and then the rest of the team can fill in the cracks. Kawhi Leonard helps a lot of James Harden’s defense deficiencies on the perimeter and is a nightmare in help defense for opposing teams. Norman Powell is silently one of the best 3rd options in the NBA and held this team together when there was injuries. Zubac has solidified his role on the team and does well to defend and rebound for the Clippers. He’s the reason why the Clippers can play small ball and space out the floor. This team all works well together and has recognizable names, but not having enough star power may hurt them in the end.

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Questions For This NBA Playoff Preview

1. Can Ivica Zubac handle Nikola Jokic?

I thought about asking can Zubac stop Jokic, but literally nobody in the NBA can do that. So a better question is can Zubac handle him? Which, in fairness, might also still be no, but it just seemed friendlier. Ivica Zubac just has to let Nikola Jokic not get 2nd chances and not foul him. Jokic is going to Jokic things that you cannot do anything about. However, keeping him on the perimeter and trusting your team to help with cutters and rebounding on that end might be your best case. Let Jokic beat you from 3 and passing, but you cannot let him have the whole floor, and they cannot get extra chances.

2. Will Jamal Murray rise up to the task?

Jamal Murray, as talented as he is, has been known to vanish when the Nuggets need him the most (ATLA reference). Not only does Jamal Murray need to not be non-existent, but he has to play well. The Nuggets cannot have Kawhi Leonard not worried about players and be able to help the team in help defense. The best thing Jamal Murray can do is have Kawhi Leonard on him and respect him. This allows Jokic to play more in the floor, it opens up Aaron Gordon and MPJ on cuts, and it allows MPJ open as a shooter as well. That all starts with Jamal Murray, though. Nikola Jokic will do Nikola Jokic things, but if the Clippers can limit everyone else, the Nuggets will be donezo. Jamal Murray must be a force to be reckoned with this series or the Nuggets won’t be a force at all.

3. Can Kawhi Leonard stay healthy?

It all depends on Kawhi Leonard. James Harden has proved, and even more so at 35, that he cannot lead a team to paradise. If Kawhi can’t stay healthy, the Clippers have no shot. Kawhi Leonard is good enough to take this team as far as he wants, but it’s all based on his ability to stay healthy, which hasn’t been reliable lately. If the Clippers get up or down by a bit, they need to pull him and trust the rest of the team to get them back in the game or to hold out. Getting Kawhi as much rest as he can will be key for this series and the rest of the playoffs should they move on.

Prediction: Clippers in 6.

I have the Clippers in 6 in this NBA Playoff preview. The Nuggets are too much of a mess right now to make serious noise I think. Nikola Jokic could win this series by himself, it seems like, but with how the Clippers are playing, I just don’t think it happens if Kawhi Leonard is healthy. I will say this if the Nuggets push to 7, I do think the Nuggets win. But, without Mike Malone right before the playoffs, there’s too much uncertainty with this team, and cannot be trusted to win a 7-game series against a team that is just hot right now. But now, hopefully, the Nuggets will make the correct roster decisions to maximize their potential with Nikola Jokic at the helm.

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