NBA legend Charles Barkley has an idea about which team has the best chance to dethrone Nikola Jokic and reigning league champions Denver Nuggets , and it’s no other than the Los Angeles Clippers.
Following the Clippers’ 126-111 road win over DeMar DeRozan and the Chicago Bulls on Thursday night, Barkley said that Los Angeles is the team that he has the most belief in outlasting the Denver Nuggets.
I think this is the only team that can beat the Nuggets. I’m not saying they can beat them, but this is the only team I think can really give them a serious seven-game series.
Charles Barkley: "I think [the Clippers are] the only team that can beat the Nuggets… the only team I think can really give them a serious 7-game series." pic.twitter.com/1xWxvtcVYH
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) March 15, 2024
The Nuggets are playing excellent basketball of late, having won nine of their last 10 games. Although they are facing tough competition for the top spot in the Western Conference at the moment with the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Minnesota Timberwolves right up there with them in the standings, the Nuggets are still widely considered as the team to beat in the West.
The Clippers have the talent to beat any team on any given night –provided that they’re healthy. But that’s the thing, their superstars are seemingly injury-prone. During the Bulls game, the Clippers did not have James Harden due to a shoulder issue.
They have also missed the services of Paul George and Kawhi Leonard in stretches in the 2023-24 NBA season. Moreover, Russell Westbrook is on the shelf with his chances of his return for the NBA playoffs still up in the air.
As for the Nuggets, it’s just fair to be the team with perhaps the biggest target on its back, considering they are the current kings of the NBA.
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