Golden State Warriors vs. Denver Nuggets Predictions, Odds, Picks

VegasInsider Staff Sports Betting Expert

5 minute read

Dec. 30, 2021

Michael Crosson
VI Betting Expert
VegasInsider.com

Nationally televised NBA coverage will conclude on Thursday night with the second of a two-game set between the Golden State Warriors and Denver Nuggets. Coverage begins from Ball Arena at 9:30 p.m. ET on NBA TV.

Score Prediction

Warriors 114, Nuggets 105

Best Bets

Warriors -4.5 (-110) at DraftKings

Golden State Warriors vs. Denver Nuggets Predictions

After finishing third in the West with a record of 47-25 last year, Denver kicked off the new season on an incredibly encouraging note, as the Nuggets opened with a solid 9-4 SU and 7-6 ATS run – which included impressive upset victories over the Suns (-6), Jazz (-7), Grizzlies (-1), and Heat (-2).

The Nuggets have looked like a shell of that team since their opening stretch though, considering Denver is just 8-12 SU and 7-13 ATS across the last 20 games – with nine of those losses coming by 10+ PTS.

On the other hand, Golden State jumped out to a triumphant start to the year, as the Warriors cruised into December boasting impressive tallies of 18-3 SU and 15-5-1 ATS – with 14 of those victories coming by a double-digit margin.

The last few weeks have been relatively shaky for the Warriors though, considering Golden State is just 9-5 SU and 6-7-1 ATS across the last 14 games – despite getting tagged as favorites in 12 of those contests.

I’ll lay the points with the Warriors here, as despite their head-scratching home loss to Denver on Tuesday night (L, 89-86), Golden State is still the healthier, and far more talented team heading into Thursday’s matchup – and I expect them to bounce back with a commanding road victory.

Golden State Warriors vs. Denver Nuggets Betting Odds

More Odds | Futures Odds

Golden State Warriors vs. Denver Nuggets Betting Resources

• Matchup: Pacific vs. Northwest
• Date: Thursday, December 30, 2021
• Venue: Ball Arena
• Location: Denver, Colorado
• TV-Time: NBATV - 10:30 p.m. ET

• Injury Report

Golden State Warriors Betting Analysis

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

• SU: 27-7
• ATS: 21-11-2
• O/U: 11-22-1

After finishing ninth in the West with a record of 39-33 SU last year, Golden State stormed out to a surprisingly strong start to the season, as the Warriors opened with wins in 18-of-20 games – with their only two losses across that span coming by slim margins of four points or less.

Golden State has been slightly less assertive as of late though, considering the Warriors enter Thursday just 9-5 SU and 6-7-1 ATS in the last 14 games – with their five SU losses across that window coming by a hefty deficit of 8.8 PPG.

Denver Nuggets Betting Analysis

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

• SU: 17-16
• ATS: 14-19
• O/U: 17-16

Despite the year-long absence of Jamal Murray, Denver has played solid basketball so far this season, as the Nuggets currently hover at 5th place in the West with a record of 17-16 SU – pacing the Clippers, Lakers, and Mavericks all by less than two games.

The Nuggets will always be a solid team as long as Nikola Jokic is on the floor – but clearly, we should expect far less offensive production from Denver when additional pieces are absent such as Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon, and P.J. Dozier – highlighted by the Nuggets averaging just 105.5 PPG across their current 2-4 ATS stretch.

The Warriors are 7-2 ATS in their last nine matchups against Denver. (AP)

Golden State Warriors vs. Denver Nuggets Head-to-Head

The Warriors won two-of-three regular-season matchups against Denver last year, with the first two matchups going over the total at an average of 220.5 PPG – while the finale stayed just under with a score of 118-97.

The most recent matchup between Golden State and Denver took place just a few nights ago though, which was quite the brick-fest, as both teams combined for just 79 PTS during the second half – resulting in an ugly 89-86 victory for the Nuggets.

Key Players to Watch

• GSW: Steph Curry - PG (27.7 PPG, 5.3 REB, 5.9 AST)
• GSW: Andrew Wiggins - SF (18.8 PPG, 4.6 REB, 1.8 AST)
• DEN: Nikola Jokic - C (25.8 PPG, 14 REB, 7.1 AST)
• DEN: Will Barton - SF (15.3 PPG, 5.2 REB, 4 AST)

Golden State Warriors vs. Denver Nuggets Betting Conclusion

After falling to Denver at home on Tuesday night (89-86), the Warriors enter Thursday’s contest as 4.5-point road favorites over the Nuggets at Ball Arena – which is a few clicks down from the eight-point margin they were favored by a few nights ago.

I’ll lay the points with Golden State here, as the Warriors are still the far better team in this matchup – Denver just happened to catch them on a bad night this past Tuesday, and they’ll likely avenge that loss on Thursday.

Golden State Warriors vs. Denver Nuggets Betting Trends

• The Warriors are 7-2 ATS in their last nine games against Denver.
• The Nuggets are 2-4 ATS in their last six games.
• The Warriors are 4-1 SU in their last five road games.
• The total has gone UNDER in four of the last five Nuggets' games.

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