The Denver Nuggets (35-16) are in action tonight with the Golden State Warriors (26-25) coming to town for their second meeting of the year. The Nuggets are 1-0 in the season series after knocking off the Warriors on the road back in October with Jamal Murray on the shelf. Now, both sides are at nearly full strength, and we should see plenty of fireworks in this one.
For the Nuggets, they’re 7-3 in their last 10 games, and they got a win on Tuesday night to bounce back from their two-game losing streak they had at the end of last week. They improved to 23-4 at home on the year, and, following a loss by the Memphis Grizzlies (32-19) last night, they got a little more room to themselves at the top of the Western Conference.
For the Warriors, they’re playing their second game of a back-to-back following a loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves (28-26) last night where they appeared to run out of gas in the fourth quarter. They’re 6-4 over their last 10 games, and, while they’ve struggled on the road this year, they’ll be looking for a win tonight to finish out their three-game road trip.
The Essentials
Who: Denver Nuggets (35-16, 23-4 home) vs Golden State Warriors (26-25, 7-19 away)
When: 7:00 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. Show up in Denver. 92.5 FM KKSE Altitude Sports Radio
Rival Blog: Golden State of Mind
Expected Starting Lineups:
GSW: PG Stephen Curry, SG Jordan Poole, SF Klay Thompson, PF Andrew Wiggins, C Draymond Green
DEN: PG Jamal Murray, SG Bruce Brown, SF Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, PF Aaron Gordon, C Nikola Jokic
Injuries: Collin Gillespie (leg) OUT, Aaron Gordon (ankle) QUESTIONABLE, Jack White (thigh) OUT, Andre Iguodala (hip) OUT
Three Things to Watch
Containing Stephen Curry
There might not be a player that presents more problems for the Nuggets than Stephen Curry. His ability to shoot from anywhere, while also being a great passer and ball handler just poses so many problems for them. He can wear out the guards that are guarding him, and, when he gets Nikola Jokic switched onto him, he’s regularly found a ton of success against him. Keeping the lid on Curry is difficult, but, if they can keep him from shooting Denver out of the game, they can hang with everyone else.
Aggressive Jokic
As of late, the Warriors have largely been starting Draymond Green at center rather than running with a traditional big. A lot of the teams in the modern NBA don’t have the traditional bigs that the league is used to. Jokic and Denver aren’t like most teams. If Golden State tries to go small, it will be important for Jokic to be aggressive to punish them for that.
Bench Battle
Neither of these teams have seen elite play from their second units this season, and, when two teams like that match up, those minutes become even more important. Denver really needs the best version of Bones Hyland and the second unit in this one. If the second unit can play plus or even-minutes basketball, that will go a long way towards a Nugget victory.