Sunday night features a battle of Western Conference heavyweights as the Golden State Warriors (41-37) take on the Denver Nuggets (51-26). The Nuggets will host this one at Ball Arena, with tipoff scheduled for 8:30 pm ET.
The Nuggets are the favorites in this one playing at home. They are -146 to win, while the Warriors’ moneyline is +124. The spread features Golden State as a 3-point underdog (-114).
Warriors Trying To Finish Season Playing Best Basketball
With the regular season approaching its end, the Golden State Warriors are trying to get on a roll as they enter the playoffs. They enter this one winning five of their last six, coming off back-to-back wins over the Spurs and Pelicans.
One thing they will have to improve on is playing on the road. While they are one of the best in the league at home (32-8), they have struggled on the road (9-29).
Offensively, the Warriors rank third in the NBA in scoring with 118.3 points per game, led by guard Stephen Curry, averaging 29.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per game.
Other major contributors include Klay Thompson (21.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists) and Jordan Poole (20.5 points, 2.7 rebounds, 4.6 assists).
Defensively, the Warriors rank just 23rd overall, allowing opponents an average of 117.6 points per game. They have allowed just 107.7 over their last three contests.
Nuggets Look To Remain Dominant At Home
At 51-26, the Nuggets currently hold a two-game lead over the Grizzlies in the Western Conference. They have been especially dominant at home, though, where they are 32-7 this year. Still, they come into this one having lost back-to-back games and look to get back into the win column Sunday.
The Nuggets rank 10th in scoring, averaging 116.1 points per game, led by Nikola Jokic, who currently has the second-best odds of winning the MVP at +175. Jokic is averaging 24.9 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 9.9 assists but is listed as questionable for this one with a calf injury.
The other top scorers for the Nuggets include Jamal Murray (20.2 points, 4 rebounds, 6.2 assists), Michael Porter Jr (17.2 points, 5.4 rebounds), and Aaron Gordon (16.4 points, 6.5 rebounds). Porter has been dealing with a heel injury, but he is probable for this one.
On the defensive end, the Nuggets rank ninth overall, allowing opponents an average of 112.4 points per game.
Take Golden State And The Points
Looking at the trends, the Warriors are 5-1 in their last six, although they are just 3-6 against the spread in their previous nine. In their last five games against the Nuggets, they are 1-4 against the spread.
As for Denver, they are 4-2 straight up and against the spread in their last six; however, they are 1-5 against the spread in their previous six home games.
This one might come down to the presence of Jokic. If he is able to go, the Warriors don’t have anyone to slow him down. Even if he can play, the Warriors have enough shooters and have played well enough recently to keep this close anyway.
Keep an eye on the injury report, but there is a lot of value in taking Golden State +3 (-114).
