The Denver Nuggets will try to ignite their series against the Golden State Warriors on Thursday, tipping off the first home game in a 2-0 deficit.
The Nuggets need a big performance from Nikola Jokic to get their first win on the board and bookmaker Bovada has the odds at +250 for him to register a triple-double in the contest.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: April 21st, 8:00 A.M. (EST)
Jokic hasn’t done too badly in the series getting 25.5 points per game with 10.5 rebounds and five assists, but he hasn’t been able to save his team from two big defeats and it seems like an even bigger contribution is needed from the 2021 league MVP.
The Joker averaged 28 points against Golden State during the regular season with 15.8 rebounds and 8.8 assists, so the Warriors have actually struggled against him in the match-up.
Improving the defense would be a nice boost to Denver’s chances in the series as well. Allowing 249 points across two games is way too much and this even happened in a situation where Stephen Curry played only 45 minutes.
Curry has come off the bench in the first couple of games following a leg injury that ended his regular season early. He’s actually looked fully healthy, even going for 34 points in 23 minutes in Game 2, but head coach Steve Kerr has no reason to push him too hard if the team is winning.
The Warriors are back in the playoffs for the first time in three years and the team no doubt has some unfinished business to take care of. They have played with a lot of hunger and desire and unless injuries hit, the Warriors seem set for a deep run in the playoffs.
Denver appeared to have had the potential to make a decent postseason run as well but after starting off the first-round series with a couple of bad defeats, it wouldn’t now be surprising to see them getting swept. It would be a huge shock after the Nuggets actually won the regular-season series against Golden State 4-1.
Playing at home should give the Nuggets a boost, but they weren’t a very convincing home team during the regular season with a 23-18 record and winning always becomes more difficult during the playoffs with the added pressure, especially when you’re staring at a 2-0 deficit.
