In the first game of the Western Quarter Finals, the Golden State Warriors will host the Denver Nuggets. The match will be held on 17 April at 03:30 AM (+3 UTC). The Warriors finished in the West’s third rank after a difficult second half of the season and they will be fighting it out against the sixth-placed Nuggets, a squad that rode the back of the Nuggets. This can spark some intense flames here, so which team will extinguish them in the first tussle?
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Best bets on Warriors vs Nuggets
Total: Bookmakers from 22bet suggest that Total Over 223.5 has the odds of 1.94. The Warriors have been a tad inconsistent on the offensive end and the Nuggets have struggled a bit on that end away from home. I believe the Warriors will come out strong on the offensive and defensive end. I see the total falling “Under” here.. (Total Under 221.5 for 1.98)
Player Props: Bookmakers at bet365 predict odds of 1.86 for Nikola Jokic going Over 7.5 Assists here(At least 8 assists). I believe Jokic will have a near triple-double night so I am
“Leaning” on Jokic going over the 7.5 mark. (Player Props: Player Assists: Nikola Jokic Over 13.5)
Handicap: Bookmakers at 1xbet see the Warriors as the favorites since they have the home-floor advantage and the Nuggets can be vulnerable away from home. They suggest that the handicap of -6.5 in the favor of the Warriors fetches the odds of 1.98 which means the bookmakers see the Warriors sealing the game by a decent margin in the end. I’d pick the handicap of -5.5 here in the favor of the Warriors that has the odds of 1.83 (Handicap 1 -5.5)
Where to Watch Warriors vs Nuggets
This game is available on the NBA League Pass.
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Golden State Warriors
The Warriors looked vulnerable during the second half of the season and their rhythm was a bit off before they closed out in a strong fashion. On paper, the Warriors look deep with the three-high scoring guard rotation of Curry, Thompson, and Poole accompanied by another high scoring player in wing Wiggins. That is why perhaps we haven’t even see the best of the Warriors and with the experience of Curry, Thompson, and Draymond Green in the Playoffs, they may play much better. The defensive work of Green against Jokic will be crucial here and he will need to stay out of foul trouble. Otto Porter Jr. will bring strong rebounding off the bench and a small-ball lineup of Curry, Poole, Thompson, Porter, Green can provide a multidimensional two-way attack.
Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets have nowhere near the Guard depth of the Warriors and they will again heavily rely upon Nikola Jokic to work the magic. I see the Nuggets running into an elite defense of the Warriors here and at home, the Warriors have been tough to beat more often than not. Will Barton and Monte Morris have been inconsistent and they can’t afford to get behind by much here since the perimeter shooting will play a vital role here. Aaron Gordon can supply strong offense here alongside Jokic, so he can be a “difference-maker”. The bench of the Nuggets will heavily rely upon Bones Hyland, a rookie who can get caught in the blitz of Playoffs intensity.
Warriors vs Nuggets: possible lineups
- Warriors most likely starting five: PG: Stephen Curry | SG: Klay Thompson | SF: Andrew Wiggins | PF: Draymond Green | C: Kevon Looney;
- Nuggets most likely starting five: PG: Monte Morris | F: Will Barton | F: Jeff Green | PF: Aaron Gordon | C: Nikola Jokic.
