After trailing by 19 at home entering the fourth quarter against the Pelicans, the Nuggets came all the way back, winning in overtime to get their first win of the season. They had the luxury of spending Sunday at home and will take on a Warriors team that has started 0-3 for the first time in 19 years.
Denver's duo of Murray and Jokic carried the team Saturday night, as we have seen so many times over the last 10 years. It took 42 from Murray and the 199th regular-season triple-double of Jokic's career, including eight points in OT, to get past a winless Pelicans team. Denver is now 153-46 when Jokic has a triple-double. He was not particularly pleased afterwards, saying fans who boo the home team are "not welcome anymore".
Steph Curry, Brandin Podziemski and Draymond Green are set to play after missing Saturday's game in Phoenix. Golden State is 31-2 when Draymond posts a triple-double, but he's had just one since the start of 2024-25, so how much can the Warriors still run through him? Part of that is roster management, which has been woeful since Bob Myers left as general manager and president of basketball operations in 2023. Part of it is luck, with injuries taking out what is left of the dynasty.
When these two teams met in Denver last year, both games went under this total (233 and 209). The two games Curry and Green have played this season totaled 232 and 219. Denver's opener in Oklahoma City totaled 180, and its 252 in regulation on Saturday took a 66% shooting first half from the Pelicans. The Nuggets are in a good position to pick up their second win of the year but should expect a fight from an already desperate Warriors team. The total is a touch too high. Both likely game scripts, a Denver blowout or a Golden State grind, land under the number.
Warriors vs Nuggets prediction: Under 236.5 (-104) available at time of publishing. Playable at this number.
