The Denver Nuggets will face the Golden State Warriors as the two teams continue to fight for playoff position. Their last matchup on April 12th was an infamous one. Denver took their 20th loss of the season, but their biggest loss came when Jamal Murray tore his ACL.
Warriors superstar Steph Curry hit on all cylinders dropping 53 points on 10-18 from the three-point line. Denver also helped Draymond Green to his highest-scoring game of the season with 18 points.
Since that loss, the Nuggets regained their winning ways as they are looking for their fifth straight victory. During their four-game win streak, they averaged 124 points per game while giving up 111. Jokic has been Denver’s leading scorer in their last three games, and he looks to solidify his MVP case against the game’s best shooter in Steph Curry.
The Essentials
Who: Denver Nuggets (31-20, 18-10 away) vs Golden State Warriors (29-30, 17-10 home)
When: 8:00 p.m. MST
Where: Chase Center
How to watch/listen: ESPN, Denver Stiffs does not condone piracy..unless it’s the romanticized 18th-century type. AltitudeTV where available. League Pass for non-Denver market viewers. Show up on Zoom. 92.5 FM KKSE Altitude Sports Radio
Rival Blog: Golden State of Mind
Expected Starting Lineups:
GS: PG Stephen Curry, SG Kent Bazemore, SF Andrew Wiggins, PF Draymond Green, C Kevon Looney
DEN: PG Facundo Campazzo, SF Will Barton, SF Aaron Gordon, PF Michael Porter Jr., C Nikola Jokic
Injuries: Monte Morris, Jamal Murray, Damion Lee, Juan Toscano-Anderson, Eric Paschall, James Wiseman
Three Keys
Limit turnovers
The Nuggets committed 20 turnovers in their last matchup with Golden State. That led to 21 Warrior points and facilitated a nine-point Denver loss. Golden State’s roster is filled with position-less guards and forwards that like to get their hands in passing lanes. They rank 6th in the NBA in steals, so Denver will have to put a premium on taking care of the basketball.
Get ready to run
Steph Curry is a non-stop, relentless offensive player. When he has the ball, he is one of the most dangerous players in the league, but when he does not have the ball he is the most dangerous. He will run throughout the offense like a corn maze, and if you aren’t careful he will end up wide open for three. Denver’s guards better get their track shoes ready because Steph might be the most conditioned athlete in the NBA.
Three-point shooting
The Nuggets do not need to shoot 50% from three, but they do need to hit some timely threes if they want to keep up with this Warriors offense. Last matchup, Denver shot 31% going 8-26 from three, while Steph led the Golden State to 41% shooting on 18-44 attempts. JaMychal Green, Facu Campazzo, and Will Barton have been finding their stride from beyond the arc. If they can continue to give Denver that much-needed offensive punch, that will blend perfectly with the consistent scoring of Jokic and MPJ.
