The Golden State Warriors will host the Denver Nuggets in their home opener Thursday night.
We’ve already gotten a glimpse of the Warriors after their win against Los Angeles Lakers Tuesday night, but will be our first look at the Nuggets this NBA season.
It’s actually the Nuggets who enter this game as 1.5-point favorites on the road, which isn’t a spot in which they excelled last season. But this is a new year and the Nuggets have made a few upgrades to their roster over the summer.
Nuggets vs. Warriors odds, prediction
As long as the Nuggets have Nikola Jokic on their team, they will be a contender. Jokic is coming off arguably his best season despite not winning NBA MVP or another championship.
All he lacked was the hardware because his dominance was obvious on the court.
Jokic led the NBA in Box Plus/Minus, which estimates the points per 100 possessions he contributes to his team above league average. He’s been the leader in this category for the past five seasons in a row, which explains why Jokic has finished first or second in MVP in each of those seasons.
It’s good that the Nuggets decided to build around this generational talent by trading Michael Porter Jr. to the Nets for Cam Johnson, then adding Bruce Brown (a key member of their title team in 2023), Tim Hardaway Jr., and Jonas Valanciunas to bolster a bench that lacked experience last season.
Their depth and versatility should serve them well in the postseason.
They will open with a pretty good test against the Warriors. After the Warriors acquired Jimmy Butler last season, they ripped off a 23-7 record in the regular season when he played.
Tuesday night’s win over the Lakers was a great example of how good the Warriors’ offense can look with Butler in the fold. He looked comfortable with the Warriors’ free-flowing system while still implementing his attacking style in the paint and led the way with 31 points on 16 made free throws.
The Dubs also got 33 points off their bench, which is full of guys like Buddy Hield and Gary Payton II, who understand their roles on this team and can be effective in limited minutes.
Betting on the NBA?
The Warriors had a game to get warmed up for their home opener, while the Nuggets are seeing real action for the first time. I think the Warriors have the edge in this spot. I like the Warriors moneyline at plus money. They should be even more comfortable in front of a raucous crowd at Chase Center Thursday night.
The PLAY: Warriors ML (+105, DraftKings)
Why Trust New York Post Betting
Malik Smith has been immersed in the sports betting industry since 2017. He’s a data nerd with a particular focus on the NBA and combat sports. He spends his weeknights in the winter looking for edges on plus-money NBA player props.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: nypost.com
