NBA picks: Jazz vs. Nuggets, Mavericks vs. Clippers

The Western Conference playoffs have lived up to expectations thus far with some highly competitive matchups. While the Eastern Conference seems a bit more stratified, the West has been blessed with a number of incredibly talented young stars that are all playing at an elite level sooner than most probably expected. Luka Doncic and Donovan Mitchell, in particular, are playing All-Star basketball on bottom-half seeds and threatening to disrupt the first round.

As luck would have it, both young stars are in action today. Join us now as we deliver betting odds and NBA picks for Jazz vs. Nuggets and Mavericks vs. Clippers.

Utah Jazz vs. Denver Nuggets

The Nuggets have their backs against the wall, and have looked hopeless on offense against the Jazz. After winning Game 1 in overtime, Denver has lost three straight in pretty embarrassing fashion. Injuries have not been helpful, with Jamal Murray, Will Barton, and Gary Harris all battling various ailments. While those injuries provided playing minutes in the seeding tournament to young big men Michael Porter Jr. and Bol Bol, Denver really needs its A-listers now if it wants to advance to the second round.

With one game left to keep their season alive, the Nuggets find themselves as three-point underdogs. They face a red-hot Donovan Mitchell, who is averaging 39.5 points per game in the series and 51.5% shooting from three. Veteran Mike Conley is a cagey veteran that is serving as an excellent compliment and mentor to Mitchell, and Rudy Gobert is basically unguardable down low, where he has been making 75% of his attempts.

The Nuggets are not the same team we saw in the regular season. Injuries have decimated their starting rotation, and the Jazz are a bad matchup for them as they have nobody who can adequately guard both Mitchell and Gobert when they play their two-man game. It’s hard to imagine this Nuggets team getting defeated in four straight games, but they have been the inferior team in each and every game.

NBA pick: Jazz -3

Dallas Mavericks vs. Los Angeles Clippers 

Luka Doncic had what should be forever remembered as a legacy-defining performance in Game 4. The young guard had 43 points, 17 rebounds, and 13 assists, contributing to a second-straight double-double and topped off with an incredible double crossover and stepback three-pointer as time expired to win the game. All of this came on the heels of a nasty looking ankle injury that did not set him back nearly as much as anyone watching would have expected.

Doncic’s teammate, Kristaps Porzingis, is a game-time decision, and it will be interesting to see if Doncic’s ankle bounces back successfully after such a strenuous Game 4. Sometimes with injuries, players have the adrenaline and initial strength to excel in their first game back, but it is the effort put forth during that game that aggravates the injury and results in troubles afterwards. Doncic gave no indication of any kind of issues in Game 4, but it is absolutely something to watch for in Game 5.

The Mavs overcame a 21-point deficit in Game 4 on the legs of Doncic, but the opportunity for heroism wouldn’t have come if Clippers guard, Paul George, was playing up to par. PG13 is shooting just 21.3% in his last three games, during which the Clippers have gone 1-2. George is getting good looks, and will need to be more aggressive going toward the hoop if he wants to get things back on track.

The Clippers are once again 7-point favorites, but head coach Doc Rivers has indicated he’s going to try and get George out of his slump by encouraging his star to shoot 20-plus times. This doesn’t bode well for Clippers backers. I’ll take the points in this pivotal Game 5.

NBA pick: Mavs +7