The Warriors and Nuggets are set for their second game of the year. With the Nuggets taking this game at home, they’ll now travel to take on one of the best teams in the West. Currently, on a seven-game win streak, the Warriors look dangerous. This should be an excellent matchup tonight, with two of the top teams in the West squaring off!
Quinten Post Questionable
Stephen Curry Questionable
Brandin Podziemski Questionable
Christian Braun Probable
Aaron Gordon Questionable
Jamal Murray Questionable
Nikola Jokic Questionable
Julian Strawther Out
This should be one of the best games of the evening. While Golden State defends its win streak, the Nuggets are coming into this game with a loss to the Wizards. As injuries pile up on Denver, they’ve struggled to pull through, going 5-5 over their last ten games. Things might be improving for Denver, though, as most starters still have a chance to play tonight as game-time decisions. Hopefully, we will see a fully powered Nuggets roster taking on this elite Golden State crew.
Golden State will have the advantage tonight. This team has come together well after acquiring Jimmy Butler at the trade deadline. They’ve cut the rotation, and the remaining players have been fabulous together. Of course, none of this works without Steph Curry continuing to be amazing. He’s still the scoring epicenter on this team. Butler and Green have been almost as crucial to their success, though. They’ve been two of the most Swiss Army knife players in the league this year. They score, they pass, they rebound, and most importantly, they play lockdown defense. This trio has elevated Golden State into an elite for in the West.
Denver has been great in their own right this year. Despite some injuries holding back this team lately, they’ve been tremendous all year. Sitting at 3rd in the West, when they have everyone healthy, they can be devastating. The key player tonight will be Jokic, who has been a thorn in the side of the Warriors in the past. His size and skill make it almost impossible for a smaller team like the Warrior to challenge him. He had a 38-point triple-double the last time these teams played, so if he’s available to play tonight, the Warriors may be in trouble.
This entire matchup will come down to A, availability, and B shooting. If the Nuggets have 4 of their regular starters out there, they’ll be in great shape. The Warriors just need Curry to play even though he’s dealing with a sore back from their last game. If both teams have their guys playing, it will all come down to shooting.
The Warriors have been dominant shooting this year, especially with Buddy Hield off the bench hitting again; they’ve been excellent. The Nuggets will need Jamal Murray and Michael Porter to hit tonight. When they can spread the floor and open up the middle for Jokic and Gordon, good things happen. So, if those two are hitting, that might be more than Golden State can handle.
Overall, the Warriors are a terrifying team for the Nuggets to play. However, the Nuggets are looking like a tempting choice. With the hope that Jokic will play tonight, he can swing this game dramatically. It feels like a worthwhile risk, especially with some nice plus odds on the line.
Money line: DEN (+154) / GSW (-185)
Total Points: 236.5
Spread: +4.5 DEN (-108) / -4.5 GSW (-112)
This is a very challenging game to call with all of the uncertainty around health. The Nuggets have most of their starting lineup on the injury report as game-time decisions. If even half of them end up playing, primarily Jokic, they’ll have an excellent chance against Golden State. They’ve already beaten the Warriors once this year, but not with Jimmy Butler on the team. If Jokic plays, though, the Denver Nuggets will have a great shot at winning this.
The unders have been looking great for the Warriors lately. After some lower-scoring games, these points totals have begun to fall, but this one still has some meat left on the bone. Considering the last matchup between these two ended a point shot of this total, with Jokic scoring 38 points, this line looks safe.
Jokic has done well playing against the Warriors in the past. In their only other matchup this year, he had 38 points, so a 29.5-point line looks solid. Considering how small the Warrior’s team is, Jokic should be able to get whatever shot he wants.
Draymond has never been a top-tier rebounder. He’s picked it up a bit more this year now that he’s been playing small ball center, but he still doesn’t hit 7 boards consistently. At 6.5 rebounds for the night, it will be close. He averaged 7.1 boards a game in March, but he’s only averaging 6.1 on the season. Going against Jokic and the rest of the size on this Nuggets team could make it challenging for him to secure 7 boards.
Butler has been moving the ball well in the Golden State system. He’s averaging 6.1 assists per game. The 6.5 assist line might be a little high tonight, but with the plus odds, the over is tempting. With Jimmy getting over 6 assists in his last three games, this bet does have some legs.
Curry has been electric from three this year, as always. Tonight, with the line set at 4.5 made threes, it might be slightly too high going against the Nuggets. In their last matchup, Curry shot terribly at 4-15 from three. Considering he’s also coming into tonight’s game on the injury report makes the under look good.