The Golden State Warriors will take on the Denver Nuggets in a first-round playoff series that is expected to be intriguing.
Hedgeout.net Team previews the series and predicts the winner, as Game 1 takes place on Saturday in San Francisco. This marks the first-ever playoff game that will be played at Chase Center since the Warriors moved there in 2019.
Yiannis Bouranis
All bets are off in the first-round playoff series between the Golden State Warriors and the Denver Nuggets. The Big-3 of the Warriors will face the reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokic.
If the Warriors remain healthy, they are the favorite to advance. The condition of Stephen Curry will be key for Golden State, which aims to return to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2019.
Curry is listed as probable for Game 1 on Saturday and is expected to play, after missing a month with a foot injury. Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins are also good to go for Golden State.
On the other hand, Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets have showed they have what it takes to defeat the Warriors.
They won the season series 3-1, with the reigning MVP averaging 28.0 points, 15.8 rebounds and 8.8 assists in these four games. Denver has its sights set on a deep playoff run, even without Jamal Murray.
Overall, I expect a tough battle between the two West contenders and the Warriors win in 7 (4-3).
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Alexandros Tsakos
Considering Steph Curry will be healthy to play vs Nikola Jokic and co., the Warriors will be the favorite to get to the second round. Nikola Jokic’s MVP play will not be enough for Denver against a healthy Warriors’ team.
Klay Thompson closed the regular season with a 41-point performance and seems capable of carrying his team for one or two games in case Curry is not 100% ready.
I expect the Warriors to finish the series in five games, despite Nikola Jokic’s monster performances, with the Dubs having more star power and depth.
The Nuggets have defeated the Warriors in three of the four regular season matchups in the 2021-22 regular season, but the postseason will be another story.
Filippos Kassotis
This is one of my most anticipating playoff pairs. The Nuggets (48-34) won the season series (3-1) and have the likely back-to-back MVP Nikola Jokic, aiming to reach at least the Western Conference Finals. Last year, they lost to the Phoenix Suns in the semi-finals.
On the other hand, Golden State (53-29) can be easily considered one of the favorites to claim the championship, their fourth one in the last eight years.
Steph Curry had an outstanding season till his injury, Klay Thompson returned to his high standards and the team has one clear goal. The NBA title.
The condition that Steph will return will be key to the outcome of the series. Should he return on top form, then the Warriors have only the Suns to fear. Either way and with the home-court advantage, my guess is that they will get past the Nuggets to the semifinals (4-3).
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Dimitris Georgiopoulos
Golden State Warriors (53-29, 3rd in West Division) face the Denver Nuggets (48-34, 6th) in the first round of the playoffs. For Steve Kerr’s team, this has been a year similar to the their five-year dynasty, when they made five straight NBA Finals appearances (2015-2019).
Stephen Curry (averaging 25.5 points and 6.3 assists) had a great start to the season. Returning after 941 days of absence, Klay Thompson (averaging 20.4 points) has been contributing a lot for the team as well.
For their part, the Nuggets entering the playoffs can be considered Nikola Jokic’s achievement. The 2020-2021 MVP proved he is one of the best players in the league this season as well. He has been averaging 27.1 points, 13.8 rebounds and 7.9 assists.
The Nuggets won the regular season series 3-1 against the Warriors. However, should GSW’s star players remain healthy, I think they will overcome the big obstacle known as Nikola Jokic.
Stephen Curry scrimmaged with the team on Thursday and is expected to play in Game 1. I’m predicting Warriors in 6 (4-2).
Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images
Aggelos Nikolopoulos
Another series in this year’s playoffs where everything can happen. The Golden State Warriors have a slight lead against the Denver Nuggets, as they have the home-court advantage, but Nikola Jokic and his teammates don’t really pay attention to that.
At least that’s what they showed us in the season series. The Nuggets prevailed with 3-1 wins over the Warriors, with the two victories coming at Chase Center. In Colorado, they split wins (1-1).
Throughout the year, Golden State managed to return to the postseason after last year’s break. Τhey had finished last due to the injuries of Curry and Thompson. But, they have both returned. Curry, in fact, plays like he never got injured. Klay has returned “hot”, but he still needs to find his good form.
Despite the fact that they managed to stay in the high-level spots (finished 3rd eventually), I think they had a bad matchup. It’s not the best situation for them to face the Nuggets in a 3-6 series. Even without Murray, Denver is a really dangerous team.
Jokic, coming from an MVP season, has been tremendous for another year, guiding them to the playoffs for the 4th consecutive year, aiming even more than they achieved in the past years (they have reached the Western Conference Finals during this period).
Steph Curry will probably be ready for Game 1 and this is an important factor. We don’t know his form, but he can help the Warriors no matter his condition. In any other case, Denver would have an important lead to win and take the home – court advantage on their side.
Surely we’ re having a few “breaks” in that series and it won’t finish sooner than 6 games, in my opinion. Over 5.5 games is a pretty safe option that we can find in a 1.55 odd. Why not having a Game 7, too? My score prediction: 4-3 for the Golden State Warriors, if Curry is healthy and ready to play.
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