The Denver Nuggets will face a stiff test on Tuesday night as the 12-7 Golden State Warriors come to town for a marquee NBA Cup matchup. This will be the final game of group play for the Western Conference’s Group C of the NBA Cup - with potential ramifications for the tournament’s knockout round.
It’s also a key matchup pitting hopeful title contenders against each other, as well as the last two Western Conference teams to win the title (Nuggets in 2023, Warriors in 2022). The game will also pit two league MVPs and two of the game’s best players and brightest stars against each other; Nikola Jokic and Stephen Curry.
There are plenty of storylines in this monster, early-season national TV heavyweight bout - the game will be broadcast live on TNT at 8 PM MT. But there are some injury updates and concerns to watch for both sides. Each of the teams has dealt with some key players missing action to start the season.
Curry good to go, Draymond OUT for Warriors
The Warriors biggest star will be active on Tuesday night as Steph Curry will start for Golden State and should carry his normal workload. Curry has been nursing some knee pain and has already missed four games this season, but he’s good to go for the team’s trip to Ball Arena.
Nuggets fans won’t, however, get a chance to see Draymond Green take the court. Green has appeared in all 19 games so far this season for the Warriors, but he’ll be out with calf tightness on Tuesday night. That should be a huge blow to the Golden State defense and their chances of slowing down Jokic.
The Warriors will also be without De’Anthony Melton who is out for the season after tearing his ACL.
Nuggets fully healthy for NBA Cup finale
In what will likely be the Nuggets’ final NBA Cup game of 2024 (they have a nonzero chance of reaching the quarterfinals as a wild card thanks to point differential), they will finally have their entire lineup intact for the first time during the competition.
Aaron Gordon and Peyton Watson both recently returned from brief absences and both players will be back in action on Tuesday night after being listed as probable. The Nuggets will be as close to full strength as they’ll be all season and fans should get to see an exciting game.