After the Denver Nuggets' Thursday night win over the Golden State Warriors, discussions once again flowed on who among the league's teams can match up against the defending champions. For former NBA player Charles Barkley, the answer is simple: the Los Angeles Clippers.

During a recent discussion with the NBA on TNT crew, Barkley went straight to the point, claiming that the Clippers are the scariest team in the Western Conference.

“Who in the West can beat the Nuggets?…The (Los Angeles) Lakers have been a huge disappointment, my (Phoenix) Suns have been a huge disappointment. I don't believe in Minnesota (Timberwolves)…but I will tell you this. The scariest team in the West is the Los Angeles Clippers,” he said.

The Clippers continue to pile up the wins

The Clippers are fourth in the West right now and have risen the ranks of the conference the past month. Currently on a four-game win streak, Los Angeles has won 13 out of their last 15 outings. The team's star-studded roster, consisting of names such as Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, James Harden and Russel Westbrook, is finally meshing well and thriving in a system that optimizes each one's talents.

Barkley spoke on Leonard in particular, claiming that the Clippers forward is one of the best players in the league when healthy.

“Kawhi Leonard is amazing. If he's healthy, he's one of the five best basketball players in the world. Going back to last year, when they were going to beat the Suns…if he didn't get hurt they would have beaten the Suns,” Barkley claimed, referring to the Clippers' first-round loss of the previous season's playoffs.

“If you go back and look, he's playing as well as anybody in basketball right now.”

As the wins keep piling up for the Clippers, more and more people have started to regard them as contenders. With a big name in Charles Barkley taking notice, it surely speaks volumes on how the team's performance is making waves around the league.

 

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