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Denver Nuggets vs. Golden State Warriors Preview

By Jack Malloy

(EDITORS NOTE: CAPTION CORRECTION) Nov 22, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) shoots the ball against Denver Nuggets guard Emmanuel Mudiay (0) during the second half at Pepsi Center. The Warriors won 118-105. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports
(EDITORS NOTE: CAPTION CORRECTION) Nov 22, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) shoots the ball against Denver Nuggets guard Emmanuel Mudiay (0) during the second half at Pepsi Center. The Warriors won 118-105. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Matchup: Denver Nuggets (12-21) at Golden State Warriors (30-2)

Location: Oracle Arena – Oakland, CA

Time: Saturday, January 2nd at 7:30 p.m. PT

How to Watch: Altitude

Betting Line (per Bovada): Warriors -14

Projected Starting Lineup:

Denver – PG Jameer Nelson, SG Gary Harris, SF Danilo Gallinari, PF Kenneth Faried, C Joffrey Lauvergne

Golden State – PG Steph Curry, SG Klay Thompson, SF Brandon Rush, PF Draymond Green, C Andrew Bogut

With the New Year under way, both of these teams are excited for a refreshing start. Well, the Warriors are surely sad to see their incredible 2015 dissipate into the history book, but the return of their centerpieces will be a nice new look.

Steph Curry looks to make his return after a two game absence from a leg injury. For anybody that says this team can function the same without the reigning MVP, they are sorely mistaken. The first game Curry sat out, the Warriors dropped handily at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks. They bounced back to beat a close one against the Rockets, but it was obviously not the same team that made so many November and December regular season games a blast to watch.

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Coach Steve Kerr hoped to make his return Saturday night, but will hold off a little while longer. While Luke Walton has fared more than admirably, it will be a huge boost to have Kerr back in his usual spot.

The Nuggets also get plenty of vital pieces back to reattack their goal of making an impact in the west. Danilo Gallinari is set to return from an ankle injury to help bolster their offensive attack. As the Nuggets leading scorer, he will look to get right back into the flow, letting others play off him.

Nuggets big man, Jusef Nurkic will make his season debut tonight on the road. While it isn’t certain how much playing time he’ll get, having another body in the middle is huge for a front court that has continued to get beaten up all season long. It’s likely to take 2-3 weeks to get his game speed and legs under him, but it is great to see the young fella healthy and excited.

Emmanuel Mudiay is unlikely to play tonight, but his return is imminent. It will be great to see the full platoon getting after it each night. Tonight against the Warriors is a great test to see that effort exerted.

Things to Watch for:

Will Barton’s Aggressiveness

When Gallinari went out, Barton took over as the team’s scoring leading, all while coming off the bench. The leading sixth man candidate’s confidence is continuing to soar and it is important that we continue to see him thrive.

I am looking to see how he will perform with Gallo back and if their scoring abilities complement each other whether they are on the court together or with separate units. Seeing these two excel together would surely show Coach Malone and fans the potential of this roster.

If we see one of them struggle a little bit with their role, Malone may have to think about rotation changes to find maximum efficiency.

Nugget’s Transition Defense

The Warriors play fast and love to transition with their versatility. When Draymond Green is playing center, one through five can all bring the ball up court. The Nuggets will exert a lot of energy getting back, especially with the amount of turnovers they tend to give up.

The unique thing about the Warriors transition is that you have to cover the three point line as much, if not more than the paint. They love the transition three and with shooters like Curry, Thompson, Igoudala, and Green, why wouldn’t you?

If the Nuggets holding on to the ball would go a long ways towards the effort they can bring on offense. However, they still need to be aware of defense after made baskets as the Warriors will get the ball into the front court quickly.

Golden State’s style of play makes the game fun to watch, so I imagine this one will be highly entertaining, but the Nuggets have a hard time keeping up with that type of shooting and movement without the ball. There are a ton of lessons to be learned so expect them to get a lot out of a blowout.

Final Score Prediction – Nuggets 91, Warriors 115

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