Unlike the Denver Nuggets, the Utah Jazz entered Wednesday’s season opener with few expectations. The team recently traded away their two perennial All-Stars in Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, lost their longtime bench boss Quin Snyder and appeared by all accounts to be heading towards a full-on rebuild by loading up on future draft picks.
Of course, maybe being underestimated is exactly what Utah wanted, as the Jazz came out firing in the first half and comfortably led for the majority of the game. With the entire team playing with a perceived chip on their shoulders, Utah pulled out a 20-point win at home against a fully healthy Denver Nuggets squad.
Unfortunately, the road isn’t going to get any easier for the Nuggets either as they travel to the Bay Area to exact revenge on the very same team that bounced them out of the playoffs last season, the defending champion Golden State Warriors.
After suffering an embarrassing loss on opening night, there’s good reason to believe that Nikola Jokic and Co won’t allow that to happen again. However, the latest Nuggets’ odds aren’t feeling quite as optimistic about the team in tonight’s contest.
Can the Nuggets slow down the Splash Bros (and Splash Nephew, Jordan Poole) and even out to 1-1 on the season? Or will the Warriors’ high-scoring offense be too much for Denver to handle? We could be in for an early-season barnburner in Northern California.
Denver Nuggets vs. Golden State Warriors Odds, Spread, Over/Under
The latest odds from FanDuel Sportsbook have Golden State as -4.5 favorites against the spread, with the team -112 (bet $112 to win $100 ) to cover. The Warriors are -198 on the moneyline, while the Nuggets check in at +166 (bet $100 to win $166).
The over-under for this game is 229.0, with the over and under both set at -110 to cover.
Nuggets Projected Starting Lineup Tonight
G – Jamal Murray – No. 27
G – Kentavious Caldwell-Pope – No. 5
F – Michael Porter Jr. – No. 1
F – Aaron Gordon – No. 50
C – Nikola Jokic – No. 15
When everybody is healthy, this is the starting lineup head coach Michael Malone has been rolling with. If Jamal Murray isn’t good to go for tipoff, expect Bones Hyland to receive more playing time.
Nuggets Injury Report
Despite both Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic being considered day-to-day with their respective injuries, Jokic has officially been listed as probable on the injury report. At this point, I would expect Jokic to play his usual minutes but Murray could sit this one out with it being just the first in a back-to-back series.
Nuggets injury report vs. Warriors: Nikola Jokic is probable with a right finger sprain. Jamal Murray is questionable due to left knee injury management.
— Mike Singer (@msinger) October 21, 2022
Denver Nuggets vs. Golden State Warriors Prediction
Even though the Warriors just pulled out an impressive double-digit win on opening night, it was also against a completely discombobulated Lakers squad. Whereas the Nuggets are finally fully healthy and perceived as potential title contenders, yet they lost to a franchise that just shopped their two best players.
It’s hard to gauge how these two teams will perform tonight but with Jamal Murray questionable to play and Jokic dealing with an injury of his own. It’s easy to see why Golden State is considered the favorite in this one, outside of the fact that they’re at home.
That being said, the Warriors will have to adjust to this new-look Nuggets team, as the last time these two faced off Denver was without both Murray and Porter Jr. Not to mention all of the offseason acquisitions like Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Bruce Brown, and Ish Smith, to name a few.
Even if Murray doesn’t play, steady scoring contributions from Jokic, MPJ, and Aaron Gordon should help the Nuggets stay in it. While Brown and KCP can focus on trying to slow down the elite shooting of Curry, Thompson, and Poole.
This game’s a tough one to predict, but I suspect Denver will come out hot and try to establish themselves early after Wednesday’s brutal loss. If we see more production on offense from MPJ and KCP and if the team’s at all able to slow down Golden State’s star trio, the Nuggets could easily clinch their first upset of the season.
It’s also worth noting that the Nuggets were 3-1 against the Warriors during the regular season last year.
Nuggets 115, Warriors 111
What channel is the Denver Nuggets game on?
Tonight’s game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN and locally on NBC Sports Bay Area for San Francisco residents at 8:00 p.m. MT.
Denver Nuggets vs. Golden State Warriors Live Stream
If you’re looking for a live stream, check out FuboTV for a free trial!
Nuggets’ Next Game and Upcoming Schedule
The Nuggets will finally get to return home to clinch a divisional win against OKC before heading back out on the road to face off against the Trail Blazers.
Oct. 22 vs. Oklahoma City
Oct. 24 @ Portland
Oct. 26 vs. Los Angeles Lakers
Oct. 28 vs. Utah
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.