The Golden State Warriors travel to Mile High to take on the Denver Nuggets in a high stakes regular season game at the Pepsi Center on Tuesday night.
The Dubs are 29-14 entering this game while the Nuggets are 29-13 and currently on top of the Western Conference. The winner of this game will emerge as the Western Conference leaders at the close of Tuesday’s games.
Aside from the top spot in the West, revenge will be on the agenda for the Golden State Warriors. It can be recalled that the Nuggets beat the Warriors 100-98, also in Denver, when Juancho Hernangomez blocked Damian Jones’ potential game-tying layup at the buzzer. That should be on top of the Warriors’ mind on Tuesday night.
The Warriors are the second-highest scoring team in the league at 117.4 points per game this season. Golden State is also the top passing team in the NBA with their 28.4 assists per game average. The Dubs are 9th off the glass with 46.2 rebounds per game but they are only 20th in scoring defense as they’ve allowed their foes to score an average of 111.7 points per game.
Golden State Warriors vs Denver Nuggets 1/15/19
Moneyline Odds: Warriors -116, Nuggets -104
Odds from betonline.ag as of 1/15/19
The Denver Nuggets have stood atop the Western Conference for a while now. They can thank their excellent home record for their stay on top of the mountain. The Nuggets are 18-3 at home this season and have won 12 in a row at the Pepsi Center. In their last home game last Sunday, the Nuggets grinded out a 116-113 win over the Portland Trail Blazers.
Denver has the 4th best scoring defense in the league at 105.5 points per game allowed. The Nuggets are 2nd in assists with 27.1 dimes per contest and are 6th in rebounding with 47.0 boards per game. However, Denver only ranks 18th among 30 teams in scoring at 110.4 points per game.
The Warriors are 7-3 SU in their last 10 games played. Golden State is 4-0 SU in their last four games played. The Nuggets are 8-2 SU in their last 10 games played and Denver is 5-0 SU in their last five home games. Head to head, the Nuggets are 3-1 SU in their last four games against the Dubs.
Even without Cousins, the Nuggets will have a tough task stopping Golden State’s three headed scoring monster. Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson are combining for 78 points per game this season and the Nuggets have to be wary, especially of Curry who is coming off a 48 point, 11 three pointers performance against the Dallas Mavericks.
For the Nuggets, they will need their unicorn Nikola Jokic to be at his best again. Jokic is coming off an impressive week and should be ready to face the champions on Tuesday. With the way the Nuggets have been playing, they should be able to give the defending champions a good fight here. The Nuggets have won 12 in a row at home and you’ve got to think that the law of averages are going to catch up with them soon. I think this is the game that ends their home win streak. Sure the Dubs have struggled this season and aren’t the same dominant team, especially on defense. But this game decides who is the #1 team in the West at this point in time and I think the champs want to drive home a point. The Warriors will also have revenge in mind when they take on the Nuggets.
I know this is a road game but I’m going to throw off all the trends and records. Golden State is still the best team in the league and when it comes to important games, they always show up. They’ve been looking for a challenge that reaps rewards and this is it for them.
We’re picking the Golden State Warriors to beat the Denver Nuggets on 1/15/19.
Both Golden State and Denver are 4-6 ATS in their last 10 games played. The Warriors are 2-2 ATS in their last four games played while the Nuggets are 2-3 ATS in their last five home games. Head to head, the Nuggets are 7-2-1 ATS in their last 10 games versus the defending NBA champions.
Golden State Warriors vs Denver Nuggets 1/15/19
Spread Odds: Warriors -1 (-108), Nuggets +1 (-112)
Odds from betonline.ag as of 1/15/19
The Nuggets are 9-3 ATS in their last 12 home games and 4-0 ATS in their last four games against teams with a winning road record. Denver is also 9-4 ATS when playing on one-day rest. The Warriors 1-4 ATS in their last four games against teams with a winning SU record, 5-16 ATS in their last 21 games against Western Conference teams and 5-11 ATS overall in their last 16 games overall. The trends certainly point to Denver here but this is an even game with the spread set at just a solitary point. I usually pick the home team in these games but I can’t bet against the Dubs in a high profile and a very meaningful game.
Prediction: Warriors -1
The over is 6-4 in Golden State’s last 10 games played. The total has likewise gone over in six out of the last 10 games played by Denver. The Warriors have seen the over hit in three out of their last four games played. On the other hand, the total has gone over in three out of the last five games played by the Nuggets. Head to head, the over is 7-3 in the last 10 meetings between these two teams.
Golden State Warriors vs Denver Nuggets 1/15/19
Over/Under Odds: Over 227.5, Under 227.5
Odds from betonline.ag as of 1/15/19
The Nuggets have averaged 113.67 points per game in their last nine games while the Warriors’ last five games have averaged a total of 244.8 points per game. The over has been the play in this matchup and both teams have been in high scoring games as of late. This one should be no different.
Prediction: Over 227.5
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