The Golden State Warriors travel to Mile High for a showdown with the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday night.
Although they are out of playoff contention, the Warriors continue to eagerly await the return of Stephen Curry to their line-up. The two-time MVP was earlier reported to return last Sunday but he sat out the game and the Dubs lost to the Washington Wizards. Golden State heads to Denver with nine losses in their last 10 games. The Nuggets responded to coach Mike Malone’s criticism after getting blown out by the L.A. Clippers last Friday. Denver bulldozed the Toronto Raptors on Sunday to pick up their seventh win in their last 10 outings.
Ninth Loss in Ten Games
The Golden State Warriors lost for the 9th time in 10 games as they dropped a 110-124 contest to the Washington Wizards on Sunday night. The Warriors were hoping that two-time MVP Stephen Curry would return on Sunday as reported but the superstar guard missed his 56th game of the season due to injury.
Andrew Wiggins scored a team-high 27 points while Eric Paschall, Jordan Poole, and Mychal Mulder each had 17 points for the Dubs. Marquese Chriss added 12 points and 13 rebounds as the Warriors lost for the 9th straight game at the Chase Center. Meanwhile, Curry is set to practice with the G-League Santa Cruz Warriors on Monday as his next step towards his return to action.
The Warriors rank 27th in scoring at 105.9 points per game this season. They are 22nd in rebounding at 43.1 boards grabbed per contest and are 12th in passing at 25.3 assists per game. Golden State is 25th in scoring defense at 115.0 points per game allowed this season.
Nuggets Bounce Back
The Nuggets bounced back from the beating they took against The L.A. Clippers last Friday by taking out the defending NBA champions Toronto Raptors on Sunday night. Denver blew out Toronto 113-118 after head coach Mike Malone called his team ‘soft’ following their loss to the Clippers.
Nikola Jokic led the team with a monster triple-double consisting of 23 points, 18 rebounds, and 11 assists on Sunday night. Jamal Murray scored 17 of his 22 points in the opening quarter, and Jerami Grant added 16 points. Denver recorded a season-high 38 assists and put a total of 8 players in double-digit scoring against the short-handed Raptors.
Denver ranks 18th in the league in scoring at 110.9 points per game and they have the 8th best scoring defense in the NBA at 107.4 points per game allowed. The Nuggets are 19th in rebounding at 44.4 boards grabbed per contest and are the 4th best passing team in the league at 26.6 assists per game.
Who Wins?
The Warriors are 1-9 SU in their last 10 games played. Golden State is 1-2 SU in their last three games played on the road, and 1-16 SU in their last 16 games played against the Western Conference. The Nuggets are 7-3 SU in their last 10 games played. Denver is 7-1 SU in their last eight games played at home, and 6-2 SU in their last eight games played against the Pacific Division. Head to head, the Warriors are 3-1 SU in their last four games played against the Nuggets.
This isn’t the season for betting on the Golden State Warriors. The Dubs have the worst record in the league this season and they continue to struggle without the Splash Brothers. Andrew Wiggins has returned to action but he has not proven to be a go-to guy for the team despite his production.
The Nuggets responded after an ugly loss to the Clippers. Denver showed chemistry and teamwork against Toronto as they put a total of eight players in double-digit scoring. Nikola Jokic presided over the attack with a triple-double and the Nuggets registered twice more assists against Toronto than they did against the Clippers.
The Warriors won’t have an answer for Jokic. Denver’s unicorn will be too much for the Golden State frontline to handle. I expect the rest of the team to feed off another big game from Denver’s big man and the Nuggets should steamroll to a decisive road win over the helpless Warriors.
Prediction: Denver Nuggets
Other Bets to Make
Golden State is 1-5 ATS in their last five games played. The Warriors are 4-1 ATS in their last five games played on the road. Denver is 2-4 ATS in their last six games played. The Nuggets are 4-2 ATS in their last six games played at home, 1-4 ATS in their last five games played against the Western Conference, and 2-4 ATS in their last six games played in March. Head to head, the Warriors are 3-0 ATS in their last three meetings against the Nuggets.
Warriors
+15 (-110)
Nuggets
-15 (-110)
Odds from SportsBetting as of 03/03/20
Despite their current predicament, the Warriors lost by only three points in their first meeting against the Nuggets this season. Golden State’s last five losses have been by at least 14 points. I think this +15 gets interesting with Wiggins back for the Warriors but remember that they lost by 14 points to the Wizards who don’t play defense at all. I think Denver’s defense is going to hold the Warriors down and even without Millsap, I’ll have to go with the Nuggets here.
Prediction: Nuggets -15
The total has gone under in four out of the last five games played by the Warriors. The under is 3-0 in Golden State’s last three games played on the road. The total has gone over in nine out of the last 12 games played by the Nuggets. Denver has seen the total go over in five out of their last six games played at home. The total has gone over in 13 out of the last 18 meetings between these two teams. The over is also 8-2 in their last 10 games played in Mile High.
Over
216.5 (-110)
Under
216.5 (-110)
Odds from SportsBetting as of 03/03/20
These teams have combined to score an average of 227.6 points per game in their last 10 meetings and 236.67 points per game in their most recent three encounters. They also combined for 265 points during their first meeting of the season last January 16, 2020. The Warriors have allowed at least 115 points in six out of their last 10 games played. Denver has gone over the 216 total in seven out of their last 10 games played and has given up 115 or more points in five out of their last seven games played. The Nuggets have been a good defensive team this season but have been in track meets as of late. They won’t get much resistance from the Dubs this time around so I don’t think they will have to play lockdown defense to win this game.
Prediction: Over 216.5