The Golden State Warriors will welcome the Denver Nuggets to town for the first NBA Playoffs game of the season for both teams. The Warriors will also get back Steph Curry on a minutes restriction. Will that help Golden State get the win? Here is all you need to know for your NBA picks.
Denver Nuggets vs. Golden State Warriors
Saturday, April 16, 2022 – 08:30 PM EDT at Chase Center
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The Golden State Warriors will have Stephen Curry available for the first game of the NBA Playoffs. Curry will be on a minutes restriction, but just seeing “Chef Curry” back out on the court will be huge for the Golden State faithful.
Meanwhile, Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets weren’t as lucky as Michael Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray will be unavailable for the playoffs, despite rumors that both could eventually return for the playoffs.
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The Warriors have been one of the better defenses this season. Teams are scoring just 107.6 points per 100 possessions while also shooting just a 51.3% effective field goal percentage.
If Golden State is able to limit Denver’s good looks from the field, Golden State should be just fine, knowing that Denver turns the ball over at a high rate. Denver is also below average on the offensive glass and also below-average at getting to the foul line.
On the flip side, Denver is only limiting teams to 112.4 points per 100 possessions. Denver has also struggled to limit effective field goal percentages, allowing teams to shoot a 53.9% effective field goal percentage. While Golden State turns the ball over at a high rate, Denver forces turnovers at a very low rate.
The Warriors are already getting very good looks from the field. If the Warriors minimize mistakes and don’t turn the ball over often in this game, they will come out on top.
The one area where the Nuggets have been much better is on the defensive glass. Teams are earning just 23.7% offensive rebounds against the Nuggets this season and the Warriors are an average offensive rebounding team at best.
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If the Warriors start turning the ball over at a rapid pace and don’t hit open shots from the field, the Nuggets will capitalize by limiting second-chance buckets against the Warriors.
But the reality is, the Warriors are the home team in the first game of the series and should be healthy enough and in rhythm enough to hit open shots in this game. The Warriors are very good at finding open looks and have an effective field goal percentage of 55.3% this season, which is good for fourth in the NBA.
Prediction
Therefore, with Stephen Curry back in the mix and following the NBA odds, I like the Warriors to take care of business against the Nuggets in the first game of the series.
What Nikola Jokic has done this year for the Nuggets has been extremely impressive, but he’s going to run out of gas with a lot less depth than the Warriors have on his roster.
The Warriors will get open looks and knock-down shots with terrific energy in the building. Take them for your best bets.
NBA Pick: Warriors -6.5 (-110) at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
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