Golden State vs Denver Prediction: the Nuggets are Struggling

Golden State knocked Denver out of the playoffs last season, so their meeting will be especially crucial for the Nuggets. The Hammers have already beaten the Warriors in the preseason, can they repeat their success in the regular season?

Even after a championship season, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has a lot on his plate. This time, it's a pleasant one. Golden State's head coach must distribute playing time among the roster's talented members. Right now, only Steph Curry, Andrew Wiggins, and Jordan Poole have a steady 30 minutes, while Draymond Green and Clay Thompson are limited a bit at a time. Thompson hasn't played much preseason, and they try not to burden him too much after his injury. The Warriors' infirmary is nearly empty right now. Patrick Baldwin is back from injury, and Andre Iguodala could be on the court against Denver.

After three wins in 5 preseason games, Steve Kerr's team had an excellent start to the season, defeating the Los Angeles Lakers 123-109. The game got off to a slow start and was not very productive, but Golden State picked up the pace. Only JaMychal Green and Andrew Wiggins shot over 40 percent from beyond the arc, while Curry, Poole, and Thompson missed numerous shots. Donte DiVincenzo, Kevon Looney, and James Wiseman came off the bench to help Poole, who made only 4 of 15 shots from the field. Curry was Golden State's high-scoring scorer with 33 points.

The Nuggets underwent a significant change this summer, and the changes on the court promise to be even more tangible. Nikola Jokic will no longer be the center of the Denver offense, as Jamal Murray and Michael Porter, Jr. The offense is sometimes built around Porter and Murray, who is in pretty good shape right now. Jamal seemed to lose his sharpness at first, but overall he hasn't lost any skill, scoring from mid-range and passing. Porter Jr. is back at least as good as his old self and is ready to take on a bigger load on offense. We are pleased with the lack of losses on the Nuggets roster, as all of the strongest players should play against the Warriors.

However, the first game was a bit of a letdown. Michael Malone's team lost to one of the West's outsiders, Utah (102-123). Denver played poor defense at the arc and kept getting open looks. Murray was shaky on defense and struggled on offense, hitting just 5 of 13 shots on the floor. The Nuggets made only five three-pointers and missed 22 attempts overall. Jokic carried the team as best he could and ended up with 27 points and six assists.

The Nuggets can't hide Murray and Porter Jr.'s defensive shortcomings, and Denver had trouble even against one of the Western Conference's weakest teams. The visitors had a tough time at the arc, and Golden State should take advantage of that. Against the Lakers, Steve Kerr's team did not make the highest percentage of three-pointers, while Poole and Curry are still capable of improving. They played spectacularly in the preseason. We should expect the same thing now. 

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