After a short road trip on the East Coast, the Denver Nuggets fly back to Mile High City to host the Golden State Warriors this Friday. Both teams are coming off losses and are eager to get back in their winning ways

Catch this game live on Friday, January 15, at 11 AM, Manila time.

HOME TEAM: Denver Nuggets (5-6, 2-4 at home)

Denver is back to the drawing board after failing yet again to build a three-game win streak when it’s on the cusp of achieving it for the second time this season. The Nuggets, who defeated the Philadelphia 76ers (115-103) and the New York Knicks (114-89) back to back before falling prey to the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday (122-116), will return home Friday looking to rebound.

The Nuggets got 23 points from Nikola Jokic in the Nets game, while Will Barton and Jamal Murray had 23 and 20 points, respectively. With Gary Harris not expected to play Friday due to personal reasons, the Nuggets might give Bol Bol another spot start, though that didn’t move the needle much for them in the loss to the Nets, as the former Oregon Ducks star scored just five points in 16 minutes.

Sure, the Nuggets, who are 5-4-1 against the spread in their last 10 home games against Golden State, got taken down by Kevin Durant and company, but Denver continues to shoot well. They have made 51.1 percent for their shots over their last three games, and that’s the third-best mark in the NBA in that same span.

ROAD TEAM: Golden State Warriors (6-5, 2-2on the road)

Going by the records of all teams against the spread so far this season, Golden State bettors should love the chances of the Warriors covering this Friday. See, the Warriors will be up against the worst covering team this season, as Denver is only 3-8 against the spread. Denver is also just 2-3 against the spread after a loss.

As for the Warriors, they are slightly better with a 2-3 ATS slate following a defeat and 6-5 ATS overall. In their last game, the Warriors got tripped up by the Indiana Pacers at home on Wednesday, 104-95. Stephen Curry had 20 points on a salty 7-of-17 shooting from the field against Indiana. Andrew Wiggins also went 7 of 17 for 22 points, but shot 4 of 9 from deep — better than Curry’s 2-of-8 line on 3-point attempts. 

Curry and Wiggins are the new 1-2 punch for Golden State, and the two could have their way against Denver, which won’t have one of the league’s best perimeter defenders in Harris.

PREDICTIONS:

Although Harris can be pretty atrocious offensively, his value on defense is what makes him a key player for Denver. Without him this Friday, Stephen Curry and the Warriors perimeter scorers will have an easier time burying baskets. The Warriors win this game, 119-114.

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