The Denver Nuggets play host to the Los Angeles Clippers at Ball Arena on Friday.

The Clippers (1-0) looked dominant in the first game of the season, handing the Los Angeles Lakers a 116-109 defeat. The scoreline is actually a bit unfair to the Clippers, as they dominated throughout most of that game. The star of the show was Paul George, who dropped 26 of his 33 points in the second half, despite sitting the final five minutes of the game. George was very inconsistent throughout most of the postseason and if he can play like that all year, this will surely be a top-3 team in the west. The addition of Serge Ibaka was a huge plus in the opener too, providing 15 points and six rebounds while playing rim protector. That's something this club has been missing over recent years and it's exciting to see Ibaka return to his OKC form for yet another title contender.

The Nuggets (0-1) suffered a devastating home loss in their opener, taking a 124-122 overtime defeat at the hands of the Sacramento Kings. The defeat would be frustrating on its own but the nature of it was absolutely jaw-dropping. Will Barton getting blocked on an open lay-up when he should have taken a foul was bad enough but then Nikola Jokic turned the ball over in the final seconds which led to a fastbreak game-winner for the Kings. Jamal Murray didn't do much either, fouling out after going 1-of-9 from the field. The Jokic turnover was obviously bad but it's hard to blame a guy who finished that game with 29 points, 15 rebounds and 14 assists. If he continues to do that and Murray returns to his bubble form, this team will be just fine going forward.

These teams played three times in the regular season last year, with the Clippers winning two of three. With that said, Denver was the one who prevailed in the Western Conference Semis, upsetting Los Angeles after a 3-1 deficit.