The Denver Nuggets hit the road, hoping to avoid their third straight loss when they take on the surging Los Angeles Clippers. 

Expect some high flying dunks in this game, as it takes place in "Lob City." The Clippers have won four games in a row now since losing an intense battle against their arch rival, the Los Angeles Lakers. 

The Clippers and the Nuggets played this past Sunday, when the Clippers won by three, ending Denver's six-game win streak. The Nuggets will be out for revenge, but the Clippers will be prepared for it. 

It's a new month, which means it's time to forget about all the bad things that took place in January and focus on achieving the team goals. 

Both of these teams have what it takes to not only make it to the playoffs, but also make a deep postseason run. 

Tonight's game will say a lot about the Clippers and the Nuggets, as both teams will use what they learned from this matchup in order to better themselves down the stretch of this shortened season. 

With that said, let's take a look at some specifics of this Western Conference showdown. 

When: Thursday, Feb. 2 at 10:30 p.m. ET 

Where: Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA

Watch:  TNT

Live Stream: NBA League Pass

Betting Line: Clippers (-1) 

What's At Stake? 

A victory for the Clippers and they keep their win streak alive, which always helps the team morale. Beating a solid team like the Nuggets helps build team confidence, and that is needed come crunch time late in the year. 

For the Nuggets, a loss would be devastating because the schedule doesn't get much easier for the next week or so. A win, on the other hand, would lift their spirits and be a great start for the month of February.

Denver Injury Report 

*According to CBS Sports

SF DeMarre Carroll (hamstring): Questionable 

Los Angeles Injury Report 

*According to CBS Sports

SF Caron Butler (back): Questionable  

What They're Saying 

Marc Stein writes for ESPN, and he recently tweeted how teams in the NBA did on offense this past month. 

Interestingly enough, though, the Nuggets are No. 1 in the NBA in scoring, and the Clippers rank at No. 4.

Both teams have done a superb job of putting points on the board, and even though they had their ups and downs this past month, they continue to score at a high level while others struggle.

Of course, neither team is superb at defense, as each ranks near the bottom in the league in points allowed. Still, it's great to see both of these teams at the top of the league in points per game when nobody believe the Clippers would amount to anything and people thought the Nuggets would be doomed without Carmelo Anthony. 

These young stars on both teams are proving their doubters wrong. Expect a high scoring affair from these two tonight, as each team will keep shooting very well.  

Arash Markazi writes for ESPN Los Angeles, and he recently quoted Chris Paul talking about how much the Clippers count on him late in the game. 

"When it’s winning time, it’s winning time," Paul said. "My teammates look for me to be a little bit more aggressive there in the fourth quarter and luckily I was making shots. I have such great teammates that command so much attention that a lot of time they just leave me open."

"If we stick together and play hard," Paul said, "The sky’s the limit."

The Clippers took a gamble in dealing a lot of talent to the Hornets for Paul, but it is definitely paying off. He's the leader of this young team, and he is elevating his game in high pressure situations to help carry the Clippers. 

Against the Nuggets, it's going to be a close battle throughout, which means the Clippers will once again look to Paul to deliver late in the game. Whether he's hitting a big shot or making a great assist, the Clippers know that Paul is the one guy that's going to lead them to big things. 

Denver Player to Watch 

Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

Nene Hilario averages 14.2 points per game, and also leads the Nuggets in rebounds with 8.6 per game. He's also seventh in the league for best shooting percentage. 

While Danilo Galinari will be called upon to score lots of points tonight, it's Hilario that is the player to watch because he'll have to dominate down low. 

The Clippers aren't a very good rebounding team, which means there will be plenty of opportunities for second chance points tonight, and Hilario has to come through. 

Los Angeles Player to Watch 

Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

The Clippers player to watch is always Blake Griffin. While Los Angeles will look to Paul late in the fourth quarter, it's Griffin that will be helping the Clippers to stay competitive throughout the game. 

Expect to see a monster jam or a sick alley-oop slam from Griffin against the Nuggets, but also watch for him to lead the team in many ways. 

Griffin averages 21 points and 11 rebounds, which leads the team in both categories. He's an unstoppable force, and he shouldn't have much trouble putting all his skills on display. 

Key Matchup 

Defense, defense and more defense. Whichever team can actually steps up their defensive game tonight will be the winner. 

The defense might be non-existent for most of the game, but in key moments, one team will have to pick it up. 

The matchup down low is also crucial to this game. The team that wins will be the one that did the best job of shutting down the opposing team's best interior force. This means that Griffin and Hilario will be prime targets.

Prediction 

Just like last time, this is going to be a close game until the very end. Both teams will trade blows back-and-forth, but neither will gain too large of a lead. 

In the end, I like the Clippers to edge this game out once again. It won't be easy, but the young talent Los Angeles has will fight hard to get the win in front of the home crowd. 

Clippers 102, Nuggets 99