Our first preview for Denver Stiffs at our new home Mile High Sports is officially here and we couldn’t be more excited for this opportunity! With that being said, a Denver Nuggets victory to start things off with a bang would really make this day even more special as the Nuggets look to get back into the win column against a solid Golden State Warriors team.
Following back-to-back loses to the New Orleans Pelicans and Phoenix Suns, the Nuggets will hopefully have reigning two-time league MVP Nikola Jokic back in the lineup to help stabilize things. The Nuggets were also without Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. on Friday night in Phoenix and both should return to the lineup tonight as well.
Let’s take a look at some of the essential things to know for tonight’s game as well as what to watch for.
The Essentials
Who: Denver Nuggets (51-26, 31-7 home) vs. Golden State Warriors (41-37, 9-29 away)
When: 6:30 p.m. MST
Where: Ball Arena
How to watch/listen: Denver Stiffs does not condone piracy..unless it’s the romanticized 18th-century type. AltitudeTV where available. League Pass for non-Denver market viewers. The game will also be on NBA TV. Show up in Denver. 92.5 FM KKSE Altitude Sports Radio
Expected Starting Lineups:
GSW: PG Steph Curry, SG Klay Thompson, SG Donte Divincenzo, PF Jonathan Kuminga, PF Draymond Green
DEN: PG Jamal Murray, SG Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, SF Michael Porter Jr., PF Aaron Gordon, C Nikola Jokic
Injuries: Nikola Jokic (calf) QUESTIONABLE, Zeke Nnaji (right knee sprain) QUESTIONABLE, Michael Porter Jr. (heel) PROBABLE, Jamal Murray (knee) PROBABLE, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (illness) PROBABLE, Collin Gillespie (leg) OUT, Andre Iguodala (wrist) OUT, Andrew Wiggins (personal) OUT, Ty Jerome (not injury related) OUT
What to watch for
Is Nikola Jokic going to play?
This is the biggest thing to watch for as hopefully the Nuggets have their leader back on the floor to run the show. With just five games to go in the regular season, the Nuggets hold a slim two-game lead over the Memphis Grizzlies for the two-seed in the West. A victory tonight would go a long way in trying to secure the one-seed, but it may be tough to do so without Jokic in the lineup.
Can the Nuggets find a rhythm offensively?
It obviously hasn’t helped not having Jokic the last two games, but the Nuggets only put up 88 points in their loss to the Pelicans and followed that up by scoring 93 points against the Suns. Denver has struggled to shoot the ball the last few games and could really use a big scoring game from someone like Murray or Porter to get the offense back on track.