Denver Nuggets vs. Golden State Warriors Playoffs Prediction, NBA Odds
The status of superstar point guard Steph Curry is the main storyline heading into in the Western Conference’s 6 vs. 3 matchup between the Denver Nuggets and Golden State Warriors. Curry has been sidelined since March 16 with an ankle injury and his absence played a large role in the Warriors dropping to third place at 53-29. Curry is practising with the team but as of Thursday his status for Game 1 is uncertain.
Tip-off at Chase Center Saturday goes at 8:30 p.m. EDT, with the Warriors a six-point favourite and the over-under at 223.5 on the NBA odds. Golden State sits at -250 to win the series.
Nuggets vs. Warriors NBA Playoffs Betting Odds
The Nuggets got the better of the Warriors during the regular season with wins in three of four meetings. Golden State’s lone victory came in their most recent battle, a 113-102 win on March 10. Each team covered twice in the four meetings, and the over-under record was split 2-2.
Without Curry in the lineup, recent Warriors’ games have tended to the under: five of their last seven have gone under the total, but the under was 24-15-2 in their 2021–22 home games. Head-to-head, the under’s hit in six of the last eight Nuggets–Warriors meetings.
Denver Nuggets
Jokić led Denver in every major statistic this season with 27.1 points, 13.8 rebounds, 7.9 assists, 1.5 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game. Jokić is all but certain to get a second straight MVP as easily the NBA’s most important player to his team. After Jokić, forward Aaron Gordon is Denver’s next best option with 15 points and 5.9 rebounds per outing.
Overall, the Nuggets are extremely efficient on offence with the league’s second-best field goal percentage at 48.3. They finished 10th in the NBA with 112.7 points per game too.
One last thing to keep an eye on: the return of star guard Jamal Murray, who’s doubtful this series after an ACL tear just over a year ago at Golden State.
Golden State Warriors
The Warriors went through a 1-6 stretch to end March after Curry went down, but followed that up with five straight wins to end the season. Klay Thompson taking over was key in those five wins — Thompson had outings of 36, 33, and 41 points in April. Thompson’s run got his season average to above 20 points in his 32 appearances.
Only Curry averaged more points (25.5) per game than Thompson on Golden State, but the Warriors present more scoring options. Third-year guard Jordan Poole finished with 18.5 points per game, and then former first-overall pick Andrew Wiggins averaged over 17 a night.
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