The Nuggets come into this game with so much added motivation, it’s only right to lean on their MVP contender to have himself a night. The Nuggets are coming off a game where they got stomped by the Celtics. It was so bad, Coach Malone benched the whole starting lineup, including Jokic, to start the second half. Secondly, the Nuggets are only a half game up on the 7th seed Timberwolves. That spot is massive as the 6th seed is the last team to avoid the play-in game entirely. Finally, Jokic is looking to make a late season push to grab his second straight MVP in a race with Giannis and Embiid.
Jokic has hit his over points in 5 of his last 10 games, averaging 29.3 points per game over that span. Jokic has matched up with this Clips team three times this season, but he has only hit once in those three. I’m not too concerned considering the desperation tonight, as well as the fact that last matchup vs them, the Joker dropped 49 on them.
The Clippers have been getting shredded by opposing Centers. They are allowing the third most points to the position over the last 30 days. This feels like a perfect spot for Jokic to continue his MVP push and try to lock into that 6 seed spot in the West.
