The Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Clippers are meeting in one of the most intriguing matchups in the first round of the 2025 NBA playoffs. Both teams finished with 50-32 records in the ultra-competitive Western Conference, but Denver got the No. 4 seed and home-court advantage in this matchup thanks to a tiebreaker. Game 1 is set for Saturday afternoon at Ball Arena.
It was an interesting end to the regular season for the Nuggets, who fired title-winning coach Michael Malone earlier this month with just three games left on the schedule. David Adelman took over as assistant coach, and he’ll rely heavily on MVP candidate Nikola Jokić to navigate the 2025 playoffs. This is the Nuggets’ seventh consecutive trip to the playoffs, and they’ve made it to the second round in five of the last six seasons.
The Clippers, meanwhile, enter the postseason looking as dangerous as they’ve been all season. The Clippers went 19-9 after the All-Star break — the sixth-best record in the league — and they head into the playoffs with a healthy Kawhi Leonard. Leonard played 37 games this season, gradually ramping up his minutes. He scored 33 points and played 47 minutes on Sunday as the Clippers beat the Warriors in overtime to clinch this playoff spot.
Nuggets vs. Clippers schedule
All times Eastern
Game 1: Saturday, April 19 | Clippers at Nuggets | 3:30 p.m., ESPN/fuboGame 2: Monday, April 21 | Clippers at Nuggets | 10 p.m., TNT/Max
Game 3: Thursday, April 24 | Nuggets at Clippers | 10 p.m., NBA TV/fubo
Game 4: Saturday, April 26 | Nuggets at Clippers | 6 p.m., TNT/Max*Game 5: Tuesday, April 29 | Clippers at Nuggets | Time/TV TBD*Game 6: Thursday, May 1| Nuggets at Clippers | Time/TV TBD
*Game 7: Saturday, May 3 | Clippers at Nuggets | Time/TV TBD
Nuggets vs. Clippers odds
Odds via DraftKings
- Series odds: Clippers -110, Nuggets -110
- Game 1 odds: Nuggets -2.5, O/U: 224
CBS Sports will have updates and analysis below throughout the Nuggets-Clippers series.
