Denver Nuggets vs. Los Angeles Clippers Prediction (February 19th, 2026)
The biggest task for anyone deciding which NBA picks to target is to find value. You’re getting that if you bet on the Denver Nuggets vs. Los Angeles Clippers game. Of course, as is always the case, it does depend on which bets you roll with.
Nikola Jokic and his Denver squad are predictably favored to win on Thursday night, as DraftKings has them as 4.5-point favorites to beat the Los Angeles Clippers. This line makes sense since the Nuggets are on the road, but both teams are well rested after the break, and the Clippers are a shell of who they were.
Darius Garland still isn’t ready to play, Ivica Zubac is gone, and James Harden isn’t here anymore. It’s just Kawhi Leonard and spare parts. Sure, Kawhi is enough to give his team a shot in any spot, but what are we doing here?
The instant reaction is to hammer the Nuggets across the board. However, every bet deserves a little more attention than that. Let’s dig into this matchup to see if smashing Denver bets makes sense, or if the Clippers can offer some betting value.
This breakdown will get you some strong bets, and I’ll wrap things up with a final Nuggets vs. Clippers prediction.
Game Details
- Matchup: Denver Nuggets (35-20) vs. Los Angeles Clippers (26-28)
- Date & Time: Thursday, February 19th, at 9:30 pm (10:30 pm ET)
- Venue: Intuit Dome in Inglewood, CA
- How to Watch: Altitude Sports, FanDuel Sports Network SoCal, and NBA League Pass
Early Season Performance & Trends
Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets have battled injuries all year and even had a stretch where star big man Nikola Jokic was on the shelf. Despite that, they’ve remained one of the better teams in the NBA and enter this road game with a stout 35-20 record.
Denver resides in third place in the loaded Western Conference, but they still need to fight to hold onto their current seed. In addition, they still have a chance to push for the second seed if they play their cards right.
The Nuggets have been a very tough out (20-9) on the road, but their recent form isn’t amazing. They’ve gone just 5-5 over their last 10 games, but could have used the All-Star Break to reset and enter the second half of the year refreshed.
Los Angeles Clippers
The Clippers got off to a terrible 6-21 start to open the year. They’ve dealt with injuries for much of the year, but they turned it on in late December and battled back.
Despite the brutal start, L.A. got hot and turned their season around. However, James Harden eventually pushed his way out of town, and that prompted the Clippers to make some moves that should negatively impact them in the short-term.
Kawhi Leonard has still been sensational, but L.A.’s big moves are already putting a damper on their turnaround, as they are just 4-4 over their last eight contests.
Los Angeles could still hold down the fort at home and continue to fight for a spot in the NBA Play-In Tournament, but they currently don’t look like the team that had an amazing stretch from December through January.
Head‑to‑Head / Historical Context
The Nuggets and Clippers have faced each other 199 times in history. This will be their 200th showdown in the regular season, with Denver leading the all-time series 112-87.
The Nuggets have been the aggressor lately, as they’ve won four in a row in the series. That includes two wins this year, where Denver won by 13 and 14. In fact, all of Denver’s last four wins have been lopsided affairs.
Key Matchup Breakdown
The Nuggets continue to run their offense through Nikola Jokic, who is in the NBA MVP conversation. The man is a walking triple-double, as he still can burn teams inside, from long range, and as an unpredictable passer.
Jokic is a huge reason the Nuggets rank #1 in scoring and 9th in assists per game. Jokic averages a sick 28.6-10.6-12.3 stat line on the year, but he doesn’t do it all on his own (even if it sometimes seems that way). Star point guard Jamal Murray carried the offense while Jokic missed time, and he puts up 25.7 points and 7.6 assists per game.
Denver’s had injury issues, but they are still very balanced and deep. Aaron Gordon has been fantastic when healthy, while the likes of Christian Braun and Cam Johnson have been solid rotational pieces. The team saw Peyton Watson explode and come into his own while Jokic was sidelined as well.
Overall, this is a hyper-efficient offense that shares the ball, protects it, and is better than anyone at knocking down shots from long range.
The Clippers are hard to gauge. Their early-season numbers were awful, they got hot and were borderline unstoppable, and now they have Kawhi Leonard and little else.
Leonard has been a brute force when healthy, as he reminded everyone of his dominance with 31 points in the All-Star Game. But he’s also been amazing for the Clippers, scoring 27.8 points per game.
Los Angeles has to prove they can create a reliable offense sans Harden. They have not always looked cohesive with him out of the picture, as defenses can try to just trap Kawhi, and once the ball is out of his hands, this offense can struggle.
Overall, the Clippers don’t stand out as a formidable squad. They rank 26th in scoring, 30th in assists per game, and 29th in assists/turnover ratio. Again, they’ve had a weird year where overall stats don’t tell the full picture. But it’s safe to say this offense is Kawhi or bust at the moment.
Both of these teams have been slow on the year. L.A. ranks 29th in pace, while Denver ranks just 25th.
Defensively, the Nuggets are average at best. They rank 19th in scoring and are pedestrian in transition and in the paint. The Nuggets also rank just 24th in defensive efficiency.
L.A. is going to slip defensively. Before their moves, they were 8th defensively in scoring, and they did a solid job in the paint. They aren’t good at stopping the fast break, and they rank 24th against the long ball, while they rank just 19th in defensive efficiency.
- Nuggets perimeter offense vs. Clippers perimeter defense: Nobody shoots the ball better than Denver from deep and the Clippers don’t defend it well enough. Jokic and Murray can kill you from long range, but they also routinely find the open guy. The Nuggets could crush the Clippers from three in this matchup.
- Nikola Jokic vs. Clippers’ interior defense: Jokic doesn’t always choose to do work inside, but he can have his way in this matchup. The Clippers don’t defend the paint very well these days, so Jokic could feast if he chooses to.
- Clippers’ perimeter offense vs. Nuggets perimeter defense: Kawhi could end up getting doubled a lot in this spot, so a big asset for the Clippers is if they can hit open threes. They’ll have their chances, but Denver (8th) is good against the three.
Denver has been rock solid (31-24) against the spread this year. They’ve been very good (21-9) on the road, and they’re also 19-10 ATS as the away team. The Nuggets are also 17-12 ATS inside their conference and 19-18 ATS when favored.
Los Angeles is a middling 27-27 against the spread. They’re just 13-11 overall on their home court and just 11-13 against the spread at home. The Clippers are 16-11 ATS as the underdog, but they’re just 16-16 ATS within the Western Conference.
For what it’s worth, the Clippers have gone 17-11 ATS when they have equal rest.
Betting Odds & Market Interpretation
Check out the latest Denver Nuggets vs. Los Angeles Clippers odds at DraftKings:
| Team | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
Nuggets | -4.5 (-108) | -175 | Over 226.5 (-108) |
Clippers | +4.5 (-112) | +145 | Under 226.5 (-112) |
The Nuggets come into this one as the clear favorites despite being on the road. This points to them being the better team, and L.A.’s recent moves and shaky home record factor into the pricing.
The game total is pretty healthy, as Denver has the league’s best scoring offense and neither team is particularly great defensively.
From a Bettor’s Lens
The smash bets are obvious here, as the Nuggets look really good across the board. Playing it safe with Denver’s moneyline is preferred, as the price really isn’t that bad at -180. Due to their suspect defense and this game being on the road, covering isn’t a total lock.
The Over also stands out. Denver puts up more points per game than anyone, and they can do a lot of the heavy-lifting here. The Clippers may also be able to score on a weak Nuggets defense, though, so a shootout is very much in play.
Situational Considerations
Darius Garland is still dealing with a toe injury and is not expected back for this game. The Clippers should get back some veteran depth via Nicolas Batum, who sat out their February 13th game due to rest.
The Nuggets are going to be somewhat shorthanded, as forwards Peyton Watson and Aaron Gordon should miss at least the rest of February as they recover from hamstring strains.
Jalen Pickett and Spencer Jones did not play in recent games for Denver, and it’s unclear if they’ll be available for this game.
Best Bets & Confidence Levels
| Bet | Rationale | Confidence Level |
|---|---|---|
Nuggets ML (-175) | Denver is the much better team. They have the top-scoring offense, and L.A. can’t do much to stop them. The spread also feels a little trappy, so I’ll just eat the money and move along. | 8/10 |
Over 226.5 (-108) | Denver’s offense should thrive in this spot, so this one comes down to whether or not the Clippers will show up. It’s riskier than the ML bet, but due to the positive matchup, I think L.A. can do enough to get us to the Over. | 7/10 |
Prop Play – Jokic to Get a Triple-Double (-119) | Jokic has 20 triple-doubles this year, and that’s with missing a slew of games. L.A. doesn’t do anything that should deter us from liking his chances here. He’s got a virtual 50/50 shot at this every time he steps on the floor, and the -119 price is solid, all things considered. | 6/10 |
Prop Play – Kawhi Leonard Over 28+ Points (-107) | Kawhi averages almost 28 points per game, and his usage spikes with him being L.A.’s top scoring option by a mile. If this game is to stay close, he probably needs to drop 35+, so betting on him to get to 28 feels relatively safe. | 8/10 |
Odd lines are shifting for Nuggets vs Clippers as bettors react to Denver’s elite offense and LA’s roster changes. Track line movement at our top sports betting sites.
Final Score Prediction & Closing Thoughts
Final Score Prediction: Denver Nuggets 120, Los Angeles Clippers 115
The Nuggets are missing some key role players, but they still have Jokic and Murray, and they are well rested coming out of the break. They are also simply the better team, have the top offense in the league, and have more to play for.
My main Nuggets vs. Clippers prediction is that Denver finds a way to win. Their -175 price is plenty fine, and they have done a really nice job on the road this year. They’ve also dominated the Clippers over their last four meetings.
L.A. is probably cooked, but Kawhi Leonard can still ball. I think they’re in play to keep it close and help this game get to the Over. I have less confidence in that bet than Denver’s ML, but both work well together.
You can take things a step further and even piece together a little same game parlay. If you go that route, Kawhi to get 28+ points and Jokic to get a triple-double also stand out as awesome props in this contest.
