Superstars to Square Off
Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors are desperate for a win, but it could be tough against reigning league MVP Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets.
Looking to bounce back after four consecutive losses, the once energetic Warriors are looking defeated. NBA betting lines are expecting another loss, but rule Golden State out at your peril.
Time for Curry to Heat Up
We have nothing against Curry. He leads the Golden State Warriors with aplomb every night, but for the Warriors to turn their form around, he needs to excel.
Curry is averaging 25.8 points on a team without many in-form shooting options, including Klay Thompson, who is taking time to get back to his old self.
The lack of shooting on the floor, coupled with the loss of Draymond Green on the defensive end, has led the Warriors to losing four on the bounce.
The losing streak started with a 107-101 defeat to Dallas, which was a huge fourth-quarter collapse. They failed to recover when when facing the Minnesota Timberwolves, Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers, so it’s a concerning time.
“We cannot give in to this losing mentality,” Curry told ESPN. “We’re not that team, and I’m not going to let us be that team. … We cannot give in to this losing spirit of just finding different ways to lose basketball games.
“We have 18 games left, we have to figure out how to turn things around pretty quick.”
NBA odds have the Warriors at +8 points, which is rare to see. They’re usually either favored to win or only slight underdogs, so bettors are in rare ground on Monday.
The Warriors are 30-30-4 against the spread and they’re 0-1 ATS when playing as a 7-9½-point underdog.
Nuggets Finding Gold
The Denver Nuggets have won five of their last six games, including a gutsy 138-130 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday.
Jokic went off with 46 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists for a triple-double.
“I feel really comfortable taking important shots,” Jokic said. “I think my teammates believe in me.”
Despite their recent success, the Nuggets are 29-33-1 ATS, but they are 3-1 ATS in their last four games so they’re starting to play well with the approaching.
Our only concern is playing back-to-back after going to overtime. The Los Angeles Lakers have had time to rest, so the Nuggets could come out sluggish in the first half.
It hasn’t been a problem of late as the Nuggets have scored totals of 128, 115, 124, and 138 over their last six games.
NBA lines are giving them the ultimate respect at -8, which is relatively high given that they’ve been underdogs in the last two meetings against the Warriors.
They have shown frailties, especially when losing to the Oklahoma City Thunder, so winning by double-digits isn’t a done deal.
Warriors vs Nuggets Head-to-Head
The Golden State Warriors are 7-3 ATS in the last 10 meetings, but they’re coming off back-to-back losses as favorites.
The most recent meeting came in February when the Nuggets squeezed out a 117-116 thriller.
It followed up another tight Nuggets win in December where they held on 89-86 as the +8 underdogs.
Warriors vs Nuggets Game Information
- Game: Golden State Warriors (43-21) at Denver Nuggets (37-26)
- Location: Ball Arena, Denver, CO
- Day/Time: Monday, 9 p.m. ET
Warriors vs Nuggets Betting Lines
Warriors vs Nuggets Prediction
Not much is going right for the Golden State Warriors, but we think they’re good enough to hang in there.
The Denver Nuggets are playing better and Jokic is a man on fire, but Curry doesn’t enjoy losing and we think he’ll pull the Warriors over the line.
They only need to lose by seven points for bettors to cover the generous spread and we would have taken the Warriors at +8.
We wouldn’t be surprised if the sportsbook trimmed the line as the betting public comes for the Warriors.
