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Nuggets vs Warriors Picks and Odds

Eric Rosales

by Eric Rosales in NBA Basketball

Updated Apr 22, 2021 · 9:27 PM PDT

Steph Curry looking on in disbelief
Steph Curry and the Warriors host the Denver Nuggets Friday night. (Photo by Ringo Chiu/Zuma Press/Icon Sportswire)
  • Nuggets look for fifth straight win as they visit the Golden State Warriors
  • MVP front-runner Nikola Jokic battles NBA scoring leader Steph Curry
  • Get the latest Nuggets vs Warriors odds, betting preview and a pick below

The Denver Nuggets appear to have put things together. On Friday night, they’ll return back to the place where everything could have unravelled.

Denver will be in Golden State to take on the Warriors, the same building where they lost Jamal Murray for the rest of the season with a torn ACL in the closing minutes of a loss to the Dubs.

The Nuggets haven’t lost since, but they’ll be up against the human heat check in Steph Curry, who’s looking to bounce back from his first mortal performance in what seems like an eternity.

Nuggets vs Warriors Odds

Team Spread at FanDuel Moneyline Total
Denver Nuggets -3 (-110) -146 TBD
Golden State Warriors +3 (-110) +124 TBD

Odds as of April 22. Tip-off is Friday at 10pm ET

Jokic Takes Control

Losing one of the premier young shot makers in the league hurts, but it’s nice when the frontrunner for MVP is able to put more on his already stacked plate.

Nikola Jokic has elevated his game in the absence of Murray, leading the Nuggets to four straight wins since the injury and pacing the attack averaging 29.5 points, 12.5 rebounds and 7.8 assists during the streak. He’s shooting a blistering 60% from the field. Denver is also tied for tops in NBA scoring in this small sample, posting 124 points a game.

Jokic was conducting in Portland, as Denver hung on in a thrilling 106-105 win. Michael Porter Jr, who’s stepped into that reliable second option, added 17 points. MPJ is putting up 21.5 points and 8.6 rebounds while shooting 56.6% from the field over the last 10 games for Denver.

The real question for Denver is: who else can they count on? The early returns seem to be Will Barton, who shook off a shaky first half to finish with 14 points, seven rebounds and four assists against the Blazers. He’s about the only Denver threat that can create off the bounce, and they need that element.

They’re still waiting for Aaron Gordon to level up, as he’s cracked the 20-point plateau once in 13 games since being picked up at the trade deadline. He’s averaging just 11 points in April and shooting just 29% from three-point range.

He’s scored in double-digits scoring twice in the last six games. While he’s been an able defender, at some point, the Nuggets will need him to raise his game if they want to make playoff noise.

Curry Seeking Bounce-Back

Perhaps it’s because his highs are uncharted levels, but it’s almost shocking to see an off-game from Steph Curry. We witnessed it Wednesday night as the Warriors lost to the Wizards 118-114.

Curry finished just 7-for-25, and 2-for-14 from three-point range, ending up with 18 points and eight assists. That snapped his streak of 11-straight 30+ point outings that vaulted him into the NBA scoring lead at 31.1 points per game.

It’s not like these scoring binges are for show: Golden State needs his buckets. Behind Curry’s performances, the Dubs have gone 7-3 in their last 10 to hang tough in the play-in at ninth in the West.

What isn’t getting as much shine, however, is the work GState is putting in on the other end of the floor. Over the last two weeks, the Warriors boast the league’s second-ranked defensive rating, and have held teams to 108.6 points per game, which ranks seventh.

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What’s the Best Bet?

Despite their fourth straight win and a 12-2 mark in their last 14, the Nuggets barely hung on in Portland, and they’re now 2-5 ATS in their last seven games. They’re also 1-6 ATS in their last seven at Golden State.

The teams split the previous two meetings, and while the Murray injury was the big news in the last game, Curry dropped 53 on the Nuggets.

The real wager here is if you believe Curry goes supernova or not. Consider in the last 10 games he’s averaging over 14 three-point attempts a contest, and hitting at an otherworldly 47.3% clip. During this ride, Curry has hit 10 money balls in four of those games.

I think he bounces back big time.

The pick: Warriors +3 (-110)

This article contains links to external sports betting services. SBD may receive advertising revenue from these links, however editorial has hand-picked each individual link based on relevance to the article, without influence on the coverage.

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