Golden State Warriors vs Denver Nuggets Preview (4/2/23): Prediction, Starting Lineups, Odds

On Sunday, we get a potential preview of a second-round playoff matchup when the Golden State Warriors travel to Denver to face the Nuggets.

Check out the betting picks, predictions, current odds, projected starting lineups, and latest injury news in the matchup preview below.

Golden State Warriors Vs. Denver Nuggets Betting Odds

Golden State is a 2.5-point road dog when it heads to the Mile High City for a matchup with Denver, the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. The Warriors will miss Ty Jerome, Ryan Rollins, Andre Iguodala, and Andrew Wiggins; however, reports have stated that Wiggins is back in the Bay area. Hopefully, he will be back at some point this season.

Meanwhile, the Denver Nuggets won’t have Collin Gillespie, while Zeke Nnaji and Nikola Jokic are listed as questionable. Further, Michael Porter Jr, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Jamal Murray have probable designations heading into this Sunday night showdown, so they should be able to play.

Golden State Warriors Vs. Denver Nuggets Prediction

Since writing an article about the Golden State Warriors’ struggles away from home, they have rattled off back-to-back wins on the road, including against Houston and Dallas. Does that mean we can return to consistently trusting the Dubs outside of that rectangle in the Chase Center?

Not exactly. The Rockets and Mavericks are in the bottom ten in net rating since the beginning of March, giving Golden State a relatively simple path to securing two wins on the road, especially with the turbulence in Dallas right now.

Further, the defensive ratings of those two teams have been abysmal in March, clearing the way for Golden State to utilize its strong offense.

As for Denver, the question surrounding it is the availability of superstar and two-time MVP Nikola Jokic. Should we be concerned, and will he play in this game?

Jokic’s calf injury seems to be bothering him quite a bit. Since entering the league, Jokic has played in at least 89% of his team’s regular season games every season. Further, the last time he missed back-to-back games was in the middle of January.

There is a chance that Denver is trying to buy him some time before the playoffs start to be in the best physical condition and shape possible, especially with the No. 1 seed almost wrapped up; however, this is something to keep an eye on.

Assuming Jokic does not play, it is difficult to trust the Nuggets in this spot, as they are just 3-7 without him on the floor this season; their winning percentage in the 2022-23 regular season goes from 71.64% when he’s available, to 30% when he is not.

This is one of the few times where I will back Golden State on the road this season.

Betting Trends

• Golden State is 9-28 ATS on the road in 2022-23
• Denver is 23-15-1 ATS at home in 2022-23
• The combined over record of these two teams is 78-73-4 in 2022-23

Key Matchups

Our key matchup of this battle between Golden State and Denver is Steph Curry and Jamal Murray. See which player will lead their respective team to victory below!

Steph Curry vs. Jamal Murray

The Golden State Warriors have struggled in the past few years against Denver, holding merely a 5-5 record. It certainly hasn’t been on account of Steph Curry’s play, though.

In that span, he has averaged 28.4 points, 4.9 assists, and 4.3 rebounds per game on roughly a 50/40/84 shooting split. Further, he has only turned the ball over 3.3 times per game, despite boasting a substantial usage rate on offense.

Murray has not had the same kind of luck in his past ten games against the Dubs, averaging only 16.9 points per game on close to a 37/24/88 split. Needless to say, he has had problems exploiting this Warriors defense.

However, Murray exploded in his last game, breaking the drought he had against them; he posted 33 points, eight assists, and five rebounds. Still, Jokic finished that game with 16 assists, and was clearly the focal point of Golden State’s defense. If Jokic doesn’t play, Curry has the clear advantage, as the Warriors will hone in on Murray as Denver’s primary offensive weapon.

Golden State Warriors Starting Lineup

PG: Steph Curry
SG: Donte DiVincenzo
SF: Klay Thompson
PF: Draymond Green
C: Kevon Looney

Denver Nuggets Starting Lineups

PG: Jamal Murray
SG: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
SF: Michael Porter Jr
PF: Aaron Gordon
C: Deandre Jordan

Key Injuries

Golden State Warriors Injuries: Andrew Wiggins (Out), Andre Iguodala (Out), Ryan Rollins (Out), Ty Jerome (Out)

Denver Nuggets Injuries: Collin Gillespie (Out), Zeke Nnaji (Q), Jamal Murray (P), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (P), Nikola Jokic (Q), Michael Porter Jr (P)