The Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Clippers face off Thursday in Game 3 from the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles after splitting the first two games in the Mile High City. The Nuggets outlasted the Clippers in overtime in Game 1, but Los Angeles rallied to achieve the split it desired in Game 2 thanks to 39 points from Kawhi Leonard. Leonard looked like a two-time Finals MVP, but James Harden was relegated to a secondary role. After logging 32 points in Game 1, Harden managed just 18 points on 17 shots in Game 2. Will L.A.’s star guard bounce back as the Clippers try to grab a 2-1 series edge Thursday?
Los Angeles is a 5.5-point favorite in the latest SportsLine consensus odds and priced at -225 (risk $225 to win $100) on the money line. Denver is a +185 (risk $100 to win $185) underdog, and the total sits at 213.5. You can find the model’s latest projections, along with expert picks for Nuggets-Clippers, at SportsLine.
The SportsLine model has you covered when locking in player props, particularly on whether Harden will have a big scoring night. It continuously refreshes the most recent available data and can help you spot the biggest discrepancies in the lines. The SportsLine model, which can be found on every game forecast page on SportsLine under the “Prop Picks” tab, assigns ratings of up to five stars for each projected value play on every NBA slate. Those picks can be integral to building winning parlays on DraftKings, FanDuel, PrizePicks, Underdog Fantasy or Sleeper Fantasy and in same-game parlays on any betting site.
Let’s check out the SportsLine model’s three highest-rated player prop recommendations for Nuggets-Clippers and see what the payout would be if they were put into a same-game parlay — and check out the optimal same-game parlay for every playoff game on Thursday’s NBA schedule at SportsLine.
Nuggets-Clippers SGP (+747)
- Ivica Zubac Under 12.5 rebounds (-120): 4 stars
- Kris Dunn Over 2.5 assists (+140): 4 stars
- James Harden Under 22.5 points (-108): 3.5 stars
Zubac grabbed 25 rebounds across the first two games of this series, but the model projects him at 10.6 boards Thursday. The big man has gone Under his rebounds line in each of his last five games as a favorite facing a bottom-10 defense. There’s an interesting pattern potentially forming with Dunn’s assist production. He had one assist in Game 1 and two assists in Game 2, so can he follow that up with three assists in Game 3? The model projects him at 3.3 assists, and Dunn has gone Over on his assists prop six times in his last nine games as a favorite against a team with a winning record. Harden is expected to remain in a secondary role for Game 3, though the model does project him at 21.4 points Thursday night. In his last six games as a favorite facing a team with a winning record and top-10 defense, Harden has fallen short of his points line four times.
