Friday night the Denver Nuggets (43-21) will be playing on the road against the Golden State Warriors (44-20) in a Western Conference showdown. The Nuggets trail the first-place Warriors by 1 game in the standings, as the season series sits at 1-1. The Warriors are -6 in this game over the Nuggets.
Nuggets Still Rolling
Denver took the first game on October 21, 100-98. Gary Harris scored 28 points, and Juancho Hernangomez blocked a tying layup just before the buzzer. The second meeting did not end up in Denver’s favor as Golden State blew them out 142-111. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson each scored 31 points and the Warriors scored an NBA-record 51 points in the first quarter.
The Nuggets hold an 18-4 record at home this season, while the Warriors have gone 13-8 on the road this year. Denver’s last game ended in a 115-99 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday. Will Barton scored a game-high 23 points, and Nikola Jokic grabbed 17 rebounds, as the win snapped a three-game losing streak.
“I liked how we played for most of the game, aside from the stretch where they just got out and ran and scored at will,” Denver coach Mike Malone said.
Warriors Struggling as of Late
The Warriors enter Friday’s matchup losing three out of their last five games. Their most recent match ended in a home loss on Tuesday to the Boston Celtics, 128-95. Curry scored a team-high 23 points on 8-of-16 shooting, but it wasn’t enough to trump Gordon Hayward’s 30 points off the bench.
“It looked to me like we were jogging up the floor. You can’t play basketball jogging. You’ve got to sprint,” Coach Steve Kerr said. “Your cuts have to be hard. You have to be going all out. We did not go all out, and it was embarrassing.”
Klay Thompson has missed the last two games with knee soreness, and he was ruled out in the morning on Tuesday. The Warriors may opt to play it safe with Klay for Friday’s game, and we should get another update on Friday. If he can’t go, Andre Iguodala, Damion Lee and Alfonzo McKinnie should see more run. McKinnie made the start on Tuesday and finished with seven points and three rebounds in 17 minutes of play. Lee played 27 minutes off the bench but finished 0-4 from beyond the arc with four points and four rebounds.
Warriors fans get to welcome back Andrew Bogut, who is back on the team after finalizing a one-year deal for the veteran’s minimum. Bogut will help bring a defensive presence to the post in Golden State, and his arrival will likely result in a plethora of DNP-CDs for Jordan Bell. He’ll be a solid addition to the Warriors’ core, but due to some logistical issues, Bogut won’t be able to make his Warriors’ debut until they start their road trip next week.
- Get more details: Denver at Golden State NBA Match-up
