The No. 6 seed Denver Nuggets visit the Chase Center Saturday to take on the 3rd-seeded Golden State Warriors in the opener of their 1st-round series. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET. Below, we look at the Nuggets vs. Warriors odds and lines, and make our expert NBA picks, predictions and bets.
The Warriors ended their season on a 5-game win streak, but they still struggled down the stretch as two-time MVP PG Stephen Curry hasn’t played since spraining his foot in a home loss to Boston March 16.
Golden State has been terrific as a home favorite this season, posting a 20-16-2 against the spread (ATS) record. It is 29-9 straight up as a home favorite but just 1-3 against Denver this season.
The Warriors played all 4 of those games without 4-time All-Star PF Draymond Green. As for the Nuggets, they were down star PG Jamal Murray the entire season and SF Michael Porter Jr. the bulk of the season.
Denver is led by reigning MVP C Nikola Jokic. The Nuggets are 12-9 ATS as road underdogs this season. They have the league’s No. 1 effective field-goal percentage.
Nuggets at Warriors odds and lines
- Money line: Nuggets +210 (bet $100 to win $210) | Warriors -270 (bet $270 to win $100)
- Against the spread: Nuggets +6.5 (-115) | Warriors -6.5 (-107)
- Over/Under (O/U): 222.5 (O: -115 | U: -107)
Nuggets at Warriors key injuries
Nuggets
- PG Jamal Murray (knee) out
- SF Michael Porter Jr. (back) out
Warriors
- G Stephen Curry (foot) probable
Nuggets at Warriors picks and predictions
Prediction
Warriors 114, Nuggets 111
Money line
PASS.
With Curry on a minutes restriction and potentially not 100%, I would not consider more than two and a half times a potential return for the Warriors (-270) to win. Denver has value at +210, but I’d rather play the spread, taking the points.