DENVER @ GOLDEN STATE (GSW -4.5, 236.5)
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NUGGETS @ WARRIORS 3/17/25
The Denver Nuggets and Golden State Warriors square off in San Francisco on Monday night, giving two teams that would face each other in the first round if the playoffs began today the opportunity to win a major game.
Having defeated the Warriors (39-28) eight times in a row, including 119-115 at home in December, the Nuggets (43-25) would have the home-court advantage in the No. 3-versus-No. 6 Western Conference series. They also have a clear advantage in recent head-to-head results. Since 2022, when the Warriors won a series 4-1 on their way to the championship, the teams have not faced each other in the postseason.
The Nuggets should be well acquainted with the former Miami Heat star, Jimmy Butler, even though Denver has never seen Golden State with him. Butler scored 18 points in the most recent meeting between Denver and Miami in January, one of two meetings between the two teams in the first half of the season. Both games were won by the Nuggets.
Since his trade to the Warriors last month, Butler hasn't suffered many losses. Since he joined the team, Golden State has a 14-2 record, and the only game Butler missed was one of the losses. Since Butler's day off in Philadelphia, Golden State has won seven games in a row, enabling the Warriors to surpass .500 by 11 games for the first time this season. The Nuggets are 3.5 games ahead of them.
In the earlier defeat at Denver, Stephen Curry, the star of the Warriors, scored 24 points and dished out 11 assists. Curry is aware that Golden State's current standing in sixth place ensures a postseason berth. However, during the last 15 games of the season, a lot can change in the West.
The Warriors have won four of the first seven games of their current homestand. This comes on the heels of the 4-1 East Coast swing. The most difficult of the group was their 97-94 victory over the New York Knicks on Saturday, which also served as the start of a difficult three-game, four-night run that concludes on Tuesday against Milwaukee.
In their last six games, the Nuggets have alternated wins and losses. On Friday, they defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 131-126, but the following night, they lost to the visiting Washington Wizards, 126-123.
MVP candidate Nikola Jokic cautions that the Nuggets won't overtake the Oklahoma City Thunder for the top seed in the Western playoffs, but that doesn't mean Denver should cruise to the postseason. Jokic finished the game against Washington with 40 points, 13 rebounds, and nine assists. Jordan Poole's 35-foot three-pointer with 2.1 seconds remaining gave the Wizards the victory.
Throughout Denver's eight-game winning streak against the Warriors, Jokic has recorded three triple-doubles. In the victory in December, he finished with 38 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, and 5 steals.
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COACH RICK FREE PICK:
NIKOLA JOKIC OVER 29.5 POINTS
Jokic has hit this number in 3 of his last 4 games, scoring 35, 34, 28, and 40. His season average is 29.1 ppg and Jokic plays his best in big games like this. Denver has beaten Golden State in 8 straight games and 9 of the last 10. Jokic has been a factor in all of them. In the five most recent games against Golden State, Jokic has gone over this number 4 times - 38, 32, 34, 26, and 35. There is a chance Denver could be without Aaron Gordon, which would mean even more opportunities for Jokic.