The Golden State Warriors and the Denver Nuggets meet for the second time in three days, this time in Mile-High City. Will the Warriors get back at Denver? Or, will the Nuggets hand Golden State its first two-game losing skid this season?
Catch this game live on Friday, December 31, at 10:30 AM, Manila time
Away: Golden State Warriors (27-7/11-4 on the road)
Projected Starting Five:
- PG: Stephen Curry
- SG: Jordan Poole
- SF: Andrew Wiggins
- PF: Otto Porter
- C: Kevon Looney
Golden State is out for revenge this Friday following its 89-86 home loss to the Nuggets Wednesday. The Warriors started slowly in the previous meeting with Denver, scoring just 16 points while giving up 30 in the opening period. Golden State never quite recovered from that, so look for the Warriors to put be more focused on dictating the tempo from the get-go this Friday. (That’s something to think about when betting on the first half of this game.) Stephen Curry finished with 23 points but shot just 6/16 from the field and 5/14 from deep.
He’ll have to be more efficient with this shot, which he can undoubtedly do. Curry could be getting big help this time around, with Jordan Poole expected to play after missing games due to health and safety protocols. Poole is third on the Warriors in scoring this season with 17.9 points per game. With that said, it’s worth noting that the trio of Curry, Wiggins, and Poole has the best net rating (14.2) among any three-man Warriors lineup with at least 250 minutes played together this season. The Warriors are 5-1 against the spread in six games this season following a loss.
Home: Denver Nuggets (17-16/8-6 at home)
Projected Starting Five:
- PG: Monte Morris (questionable)
- SG: Austin Rivers
- SF: Aaron Gordon (questionable)
- PF: Jeff Green
- C: Nikola Jokic
As expected. Nikola Jokic threw his weight around in the win over the Warriors on Wednesday, as he posted 22 points, 18 rebounds, five assists, and four steals in 35 minutes. He did, however, turned the ball over a total of eight times, so ball security is something he’ll have to get better against the Warriors, who are excellent in converting turnovers to points. Nevertheless, Jokic stands to dominate again versus the Warriors, with Golden State still missing the services of Draymond Green. Denver is now on a mini two-game win streak, with both of its last two wins coming on the road
Meanwhile, the Nuggets hope that Will Barton will continue to be productive. Barton went 7/15 from the field with four 3-pointers on his way to a 22-point outing in the win over the Warriors. Moreover, Monte Morris and Aaron Gordon, who both missed Wednesday’s game, are currently labeled questionable for the rematch against the Warriors. Prior to beating the Warriors, the Nuggets scored a 103-100 win in Hollywood against the LA Clippers. The Nuggets are also 2-2-0 against the spread in four games this season as an underdog at Ball Arena.
PREDICTIONS:
Spread: The Warriors have not lost two games in a row this season, and I don’t think that’s finally going to happen this Friday. Looking to take the Warriors to cover (-4.5).
Over/Under: The Nuggets held the Warriors to only 71 field goal attempts in the last meeting. That’s almost 14 fewer than what Golden State averages this season. Expect that to change with Pool back to take some pressure off Curry. Eyeing an Over hit here (213.0).
