The Golden State Warriors (66-15) and Denver Nuggets (30-51) will clash at ORACLE Arena to the regular season comes to a close. Action begins at 10:30 pm ET on Wednesday, Apr. 15 and can be seen on Altitude and CSN-BA.
The Warriors played well in their last game, topping the Grizzlies 111-107 on Monday. Klay Thompson was the game’s leading scorer with 42 points on 15-for-20 shooting. The Nuggets, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after the 110-103 loss against the Clippers on Monday. Wilson Chandler led the game in scoring with 32 points.
Over the last five games, Stephen Curry has taken his game to another level for the Warriors, averaging 28.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, 8.0 assists, 1.4 steals, and 5.2 three-pointers. The Nuggets also have their own player combo that has upped their production in that same time frame. Danilo Gallinari has averaged 17.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 0.6 blocks, and 3.2 three-pointers, while Kenneth Faried has put up 20.4 points, 11.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.8 steals.
There could be a fair amount of transition offense in a game that features two of the league’s more up-tempo teams. Golden State is ranked first in the NBA in possessions per game (101.1), while Denver is third (99.9).
Both teams have won a game in the season series. The Nuggets had the upper hand in the most recent game, a 114-103 win. Randy Foye had a standout performance in the victory, putting up 20 points, three rebounds, eight assists, one steal, one block, and four three-pointers.
The odds for Golden State and Denver are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is unavailable as of now. The Warriors have gone 66-15 Straight Up (SU) and 47-33-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 41-10 SU and 32-19 ATS against the Western Conference. The Warriors have no trouble scoring as they lead the league in offense with 109.7 points per game. Golden State is the best passing team in the league with an average of 27.4 assists per game. Golden State’s defense can be considered for best in the league, allowing an NBA-best .427 opponent field-goal percentage. Opponents have consistently had their shots rejected by the Warriors, ranking second in the league in blocks per game with 6.0. Golden State is the league’s top scoring team off turnovers with an average of 19.4 points per game. Golden State will look to take advantage of the Nuggets and their propensity to foul. Denver has committed the most fouls in the league, averaging 22.9 per game.
In the other locker room, the Nuggets have 30-51 SU and 35-43-3 ATS records. Against the Western Conference, Denver is 19-32 SU and 22-27-2 ATS. The Nuggets have controlled the offensive glass with an average of 12.4 per game, third in the league.
With the Nuggets’ last win against Golden State, Denver moved closer to evening up its record against Golden State. It now stands at 4-6 SU over the last 10 meetings. The Warriors also lead the matchup ATS with a record of 7-3. Golden State and Denver both held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers once over the last 10 games.
Predictions: SU Winner – GS, ATS Winner – GS
Notes
Denver has allowed an average of 105.5 points per away game this season. Golden State averages 112.8 points per home game, placing the team at the top of the NBA in scoring.
Golden State has a perfect 40-0 record when opponents score fewer than 100 points. The Nuggets do not fare well when they score under 100, earning a 4-29 record in such games.
Golden State is above 0.500 (26-15) when it allows 100 or more points this season. Denver has a 26-22 record when it hits the century mark.
The Nuggets have a defensive rating of 104.7 (ranked 23rd). The Warriors rank second for their offensive rating of 108.4.
The Golden State Warriors average 101.1 possessions and 1.084 points per possession in games this season. The Denver Nuggets average fewer possessions with 99.9, as well as fewer points per possession with 1.012.
Golden State is among the top-ranked teams based on its average effective field goal percentage of 53.9% (ranked first in the NBA). Denver is an abysmal 1-22 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
The Golden State Warriors, with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.94, rank second in the NBA. The Denver Nuggets have a lower A/TO (1.58), ranking 18th.
The Warriors rank sixth in rebounds per game with 44.8, while the Nuggets rank seventh with 44.8 per game.
Ranked third, the Denver Nuggets are one of the top-ranked offensive rebounding teams. The Golden State Warriors are among the best defensive rebounding teams in the league (ranked fourth).
Golden State is one of the top teams in forced turnovers, with opponents averaging a TOV% of 15.3% (ranked sixth). Denver has a losing record of 9-17 SU this season when its TOV% reaches 15.3% or greater.
