Denver Nuggets vs Golden State Warriors 2/16/22: Starting Lineups, Matchup Preview, Betting Odds, Live Stream

Denver Nuggets vs Golden State Warriors Matchup Preview (2/16/22)

The Denver Nuggets (32-25) travel to Chase Center to take on the Golden State Warriors (42-16) Wednesday night. The Nuggets have won four of their last five games with the 8th Offensive Rating and 9th Defensive Rating in that span. Even though the Nuggets do not have Jamal Murray or Michael Porter Jr, the Nuggets are squarely in the playoff race. They are coming off a 121-111 victory over the lottery-bound Orlando Magic. MVP-candidate Nikola Jokic controlled the game with 26 points, 15 rebounds, and 7 assists, while Will Barton added 17 points and 7 rebounds. The Nuggets traded for Forbes in order to bolster their backcourt rotation; he chipped in 16 points off the bench on 3/4 from deep. Monte Morris and Zeke Nnaji are game time decisions. Nah’Shon Hyland will likely get the start again at point guard if Morris is unable to play (he has missed the past three games). JaMychal Green will cover Nnaji’s minutes in case of his absence. 

The Warriors are 7-3 over their last ten games, but 2-3 in their last five. Their recent stretch, coupled with a Suns 5-game winning streak, created a sizable gap between the 1st seed (Suns) and 2nd seed (Warriors). Against the Lakers on Saturday, Klay Thompson played his best game since returning from injury on January 9th. In 30 minutes, Klay dropped 33 points on 54.5 FG% and 55.6 3PT%. However, Klay followed that up with 7 points on 21.4 FG% against the Clippers on Monday. The Warriors lost 119-104 to the Clippers even though Steph Curry scored 33 points on 8/13 from three. They could not stop Terance Mann (25 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists) or Reggie Jackson (19 points, 8 rebounds, 9 assists). Against the Nuggets, Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala are out. Jonathan Kuminga surpassed Otto Porter Jr and will start in place of Draymond at power forward. 

Denver Nuggets vs Golden State Warriors Betting Odds

The Nuggets defeated the Warriors 89-86 on December 28th in their only prior matchup on the season. The Warriors were without Draymond, Klay, and Jordan Poole, while the Nuggets were without Aaron Gordon and Monte Morris. Jokic bullied the Warriors for 22 points, 18 rebounds, and 5 assists. Will Barton produced 21 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists on 7/15 shooting. Curry led the Warriors in scoring with 23 points, while Wiggins added 21. In this current matchup, I like the Warriors to beat the Nuggets off a monster game from Curry. Jokic will still dominate, but Curry has a far better supporting cast than Jokic. 

TV Schedule

Date: 2/16/22
Time: 10:00 PM ET
Arena: Chase Center – San Francisco, CA
Channel: NBA League Pass

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Denver Nuggets Starting Lineup

PG: Nah’Shon Hyland
SG: Will Barton
SF: Jeff Green
PF: Aaron Gordon
C: Nikola Jokic

Denver Nuggets Analysis

The Nuggets will exploit their biggest advantage in this game: Jokic vs Kevon Looney. On the season, Looney’s struggled to guard opposing bigs when they post up. Jokic’s main source of points and assists is from posting up, so the Warriors are in trouble defensively. Looney does not have the size (6’9” 222 lbs) to even bother Jokic (6’11” 284 lbs). The Warriors will be forced to double Jokic, leading to open shots from Barton, Hyland, Jeff Green, and Gordon. Outside of Jokic, the Nuggets have relied upon Will Barton to be their second scorer. Barton will mark Klay Thompson, one of the best players at using screens to get open. Barton matching Klay’s offensive production will be paramount. 

Aaron Gordon will be guarded by rookie Jonathan Kuminga. It’s a battle between hyper-athletic forwards, and the Nuggets will hope the veteran teaches the rookie some lessons. Gordon’s spot up shooting is shaky, but he is a terror in transition and solid at posting up. If the Nuggets can get 18+ points from Gordon, it would relieve some of the scoring pressure off of Jokic and Barton. Recently, Gordon has been settling for jump shots, especially threes. It would be beneficial for both the Nuggets and Gordon if he stops settling and attacks the rim.

Golden State Warriors Starting Lineup

PG: Stephen Curry
SG: Klay Thompson
SF: Andrew Wiggins
PF: Jonathan Kuminga
C: Kevon Looney

Golden State Warriors Analysis

While the Nuggets hold a vast edge at center, the Warriors hold a formidable edge at point guard. Former MVP Steph Curry will face off against rookie Nah’Shon Hyland. Curry’s dropped off some since his scorching start, yet he is still averaging 25.8 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 6.3 APG on a 42/38/91 shooting split. Hyland has shown promise this season, but expecting him to guard Curry is well beyond his capability at the moment. 

Outside of Curry, Andrew Wiggins will be a major factor in scoring. Jeff Green’s spot up defense is average at best right now, and Wiggins has morphed into one of the best spot up shooters in the NBA. With all of the help the Nuggets must send to aid Hyland at the point of attack, Wiggins will see his fair share of uncontested shots. Based on his accuracy and ability to get the shot off (6’7” and 6’11” wingspan), he is good for 3-5 threes in this one. The same applies to Klay Thompson, who is attempting 7.5 threes taken per game. 

Denver Nuggets vs Golden State Warriors Daily Fantasy Picks

For the Warriors, I like Curry and Jordan Poole. Curry’s matchup is too good to pass up, and he is coming off a strong 33-point performance where he shot 8/13 (61.5%) from three. I expect the Nuggets to not double early in the game, but realize they have to when Curry cooks them. By then, the damage will be done, and Curry is on the path towards a great game. Look for a performance of around 30 points, 5 rebounds, and 8 assists. Poole, meanwhile, will face off against Bryn Forbes and Facundo Campazzo in a battle between bench backcourts. Klay’s return has reduced Poole’s minutes, but he still squeezes production out of them. He’s scored 10+ points in his last seven games while also racking up a decent amount of assists and rebounds. As a bonus, Poole will see the garbage minutes if the game gets out of hand. 

For the Nuggets, I like Jokic and Barton to play to their standards. Jokic will obliterate Looney in the paint; a line of 26 points, 15 rebounds, 11 assists is reasonable. Even if the Warriors constantly double, Jokic is so good at passing that he will find the open man and rack up 15+ assists. Barton’s been taking over 10 FGA consistently, with many of them being threes. On the season, he makes 2.3 threes per game on 37.5 3PT%. I expect the Warriors to be leading, meaning the Nuggets will seek out threes to try and catch up in time.