How to watch Nuggets vs. Clippers Game 1: Time, odds, lineups, injuries and preview

The NBA playoffs are almost underway, the Denver Nuggets are back on the hunt for another title. After a week off, Nikola Jokic and company return to Ball Arena to host the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 1 of the Western Conference First Round. Here's everything you need to know ahead of Saturday afternoon’s matchup — including how to watch, betting odds, injury updates, projected lineups, and the key matchup to watch

BY TRENT FINNEGAN

Apr 18, 2025, 5:35 PM Updated: Apr 19, 2025, 12:24 pm

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The NBA playoffs are here! After a busy end of the season and a week off for the Play-In, the Denver Nuggets are back in action at Ball Arena on Saturday to take on the Los Angeles Clippers for Game 1 of the 4-5 matchup in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.

The two sides haven’t faced off since a 126-103 Nuggets victory back on January 8, a game in which both Nikola Jokic and Kawhi Leonard did not play. The two teams will look a lot different than they did then, as Clippers star James Harden, who David Adelman recently compared to Peyton Manning, emphasized earlier in the week. The Nuggets have a different head coach and different rotations, while the Clippers went out and added Bogdan Bogdanovic at the trade deadline.

This will be the third postseason meeting between the teams, with the Clippers winning the 2006 Western Conference First Round series in five games and the Nuggets winning the 2020 Western Conference Semifinals series in seven games.

For an in-depth analysis of the series, click here.

How to watch Game 1 of Nuggets-Clippers

Game 1 will be broadcast on ESPN and Altitude TV, with the opening tip scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Denver time.

Odds for Game 1 of Nuggets-Clippers

Spread/Total: Nuggets -2.5, 224.5

Moneylines: Nuggets -138, Clippers +118

Nikola Jokic to record a triple-double: +125

The Nuggets haven’t been an underdog for a home playoff game since the start of the 2022-23 postseason, in which they won the NBA Championship. However, this line is the closest a home game has been for Denver in that timeframe, surpassing Game 1 of the 2023 Western Conference Semifinals against the Phoenix Suns when the Nuggets were favored by 3.5 points.

Last season, Denver was 2-5 against the spread in games played at Ball Arena.

Projected starting lineups for Game 1 of Nuggets-Clippers

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

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

Injury notes/report for Game 1 of Nuggets-Clippers

Nuggets
DaRon Holmes II is the only player listed on Denver’s injury report, as he is still rehabbing the Achilles tendon he tore back in the NBA Summer League. Jamal Murray ended the season dealing with a hamstring, but is not listed on the report. The rest of the Nuggets report is clean.

Clippers
Forward Nic Batum, who missed recent time for the Clippers, said he should be good to go during Friday’s practice. He is not listed on the report, nor are any other Clippers.

Referees for Game 1 of Nuggets-Clippers

Crew Chief: James Williams (#60)
Referee: Kevin Scott (#24)
Umpire: Mark Lindsay (#29)
Alternate: Marat Kogut (#32)

Matchup to watch for Game 1 of Nuggets-Clippers

Nikola Jokic and Ivica Zubac will be the matchup that determines this series. Zubac has been solid when guarding Jokic this season, holding the three-time MVP below his season averages in the three games Jokic played in this season (28.3 ppg/10.0 rpg/ 5.7 apg). On the flip side, Jokic has done the same to Zubac, but that was before Zubac hit another gear in the last part of the season. In March and April, the Clippers’ big man averaged just under 20 points and 13 rebounds per game.

He has found a new gear in his game, but Jokic has always elevated his game for playoff basketball. The battle of European big men will be a fun one to watch and will hold high stakes in the outcome of the series.