Nuggets vs. Warriors NBA Playoffs Game 2 Predictions and Pick (Archive)
The Golden State Warriors look to take a 2-0 lead on the Denver Nuggets this Monday evening on TNT.
The Warriors were 17 points better than the Nuggets over the last three quarters in Saturday’s 123-107 win. Can Nikola Jokic help his team to a split before going back to Denver? Let’s see what the NBA odds for this matchup tell us!
Denver Nuggets vs. Golden State Warriors
Monday, April 18, 2022 – 10:00 PM EDT at Chase Center
The Warriors (42-37-4 ATS) are a 7-point favorite over the Nuggets (37-46 ATS) at BMR’s top-rated sportsbooks.
Golden State is one of three teams to cover 60% of its home games, but Denver is 3-2 against the Warriors this season.
Game 1 Recap: Warriors 123, Nuggets 107
These teams played some close games in the regular season with Nikola Jokic and Steph Curry stealing the spotlight when their teams won the respective meetings.
But Saturday’s Game 1 was no such contest. While Curry returned for his first game in a month since his foot injury, he was hardly the story of this one.
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Curry even came off the bench instead of starting for the Warriors, who trailed 27-26 after one quarter.
Curry played just under 22 minutes and shot 5-of-13 from the field for 16 points and four assists, a quiet game for his standards.
But he did warm up and hit three threes. He should get better as the series goes on and he gets his game feet back and minutes up.
But the Warriors did not need him to be great with superior shooting and ball movement from the likes of Draymond Green (nine assists), Jordan Poole (30 points), and Klay Thompson (five made threes).
Poole dropped 30 points in his first career playoff game. It was just back on March 7 when he tied his season-high with eight made threes in a loss to Denver, so he feels comfortable against this defense.
Golden State’s 33 assists were the most the team has had in five meetings with Denver this season.
The Nuggets really miss a star-like Jamal Murray in a series like this one against a tough team.
Nikola Jokic (25 points) and Will Barton (24 points) were the only Nuggets to score more than 10 points in Game 1, and Barton had 14 of his points in the fourth quarter when the Nuggets were too far behind to ever make things relevant.
Golden State led by at least 16 points for the entire fourth quarter. Aaron Gordon, a feast-or-famine shooter, has yet to break 10 points in four meetings with the Warriors this season.
Rookie Bones Hyland has been a recent sensation for the Nuggets, but he was only 2-of-7 from three in Game 1. On the season, Hyland shoots 40% from three at home compared to 32% on the road.
Does Denver Have Enough to Win?
The Nuggets are going to have to do more around Jokic, who also can play a better game than he had on Saturday.
Jokic was 0-for-4 from three, bringing him to 3-for-22 from three against the Warriors this season. All three makes were in the same game too.
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The Nuggets are 7-13 (.350) in the playoffs when Jokic shoots under 50% from the field. Last season, the Nuggets had no answers for Phoenix in the second round of the playoffs.
Denver lost the first two games by at least 17 points and lost Game 3 at home by 14 points before Jokic was ejected from Game 4, completing the Phoenix sweep.
Game 1 was the first time this season the Nuggets lost the rebounding battle to Golden State.
The Warriors played well, but the thought of Curry finding his groove as the series progresses is a scary one for the Nuggets, who need to treat this as a must-win game.
But between the fairly consistent shooting of Thompson and Poole combined with the all-around game of Green, it looks like the Warriors are simply too good for these Nuggets this season.
Predictions
The Warriors are 6-1 ATS in their last seven games. Denver has failed to cover three games in a row only one time since late January, but Game 1 was not an encouraging effort.
This one should be closer than 16 points, but I trust the Warriors to cover and go to 2-0 in the series, then we’ll see if Denver can rebound, both literally and figuratively, back home.
Score Prediction: Warriors 115, Nuggets 107
NBA Pick: Warriors -7 (-110) with Bovada (visit our Bovada Review)
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.