The NBA Cup Group Stage returns on Friday with an 11-game slate. My focus is on arguably the biggest game of the night between the Golden State Warriors and Denver Nuggets as the 2 teams lock horns for the 2nd time this season. Amazon Prime Video will have the tip at 10:00 pm ET, and I’ve prepared a Warriors vs Nuggets Same Game Parlay at +442 odds for this hot matchup. Let’s dive in, while we also have you covered with NBA picks for every single game being played tonight!
Nuggets ML (-420)
Tim Hardaway Jr. 3+ made threes (+186)
Jonathan Kuminga to score 20+ points (-174)
Warriors vs Nuggets Same Game Parlay odds: +442
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Denver Nuggets ML over Golden State Warriors (-420)
Starting off the NBA Cup with a win will be of great importance for the Denver Nuggets, who are one of the favorites to win it this year. Nikola Jokic and company have already lost to the Warriors once this year, as Golden State prevailed 137-131. With the Nuggets playing at home, they’ll be motivated to get revenge, as prior to that Warriors win they had a run of 8 victories in 9 games against them.
It’s quite clear that the matchup is a favorable one for the Nuggets, especially for Jokic, who has no real competition under the basket whenever he faces Golden State. The 3-time MVP is averaging 29.7 points, 13.2 rebounds and 9.8 assists per game in the last 10 meetings, and he had a triple-double in the 1st meeting of the season as well. Denver also has an active 5-game win streak in home games while beating the Warriors in 6 straight at Ball Arena. I’ll be backing all those trends to continue on Friday to kickstart our Warriors vs Nuggets parlay.
Tim Hardaway Jr. 3+ made threes (+186)
Who would have thought that Tim Hardaway Jr. would be the Nuggets’ most important bench player this season? So far that has been the case, with the 33-year-old averaging 11.3 points per game in just 23.3 minutes a night. Unlike in previous seasons, where he jacked up shots at will, Hardaway’s approach has changed quite a lot this season. Being surrounded by quality players has elevated his efficiency to heights never seen before in his career. He’s at 49.1% from the field and 44.7% from three, making him one of the more productive players in terms of points and efficiency compared to minutes played.
Scoring 3 from downtown does sound like a lot, but we just saw him connect on 4 of them in the win over Miami in what was arguably his best game of the season. He’s cleared this line 3 times in 5 games, so let’s keep the hot streak going here and back him to knock down some shots from deep.
Jonathan Kuminga to score 20+ points (-174)
Jonathan Kuminga’s role has been huge for the Warriors in the early going this season. The contract extension he was given in the offseason is paying off, with Kuminga being the team’s 3rd leading scorer behind Steph Curry and Jimmy Butler. Speaking of those 2, Curry has already been ruled out for Friday’s game with an illness, while Jimmy Butler is questionable with lower back soreness. Butler logged 14 mins against the Suns on Tuesday and sat out the game in Sacramento on Wednesday to be ready for this one. If he plays, he definitely won’t be at 100% here, so it might be up to Kuminga to carry the load on offense.
Kuminga has answered the call already on multiple occasions this season, scoring 20+ points 3 times in 6 games. The 17.2 points per game he’s averaging is a career high, as is his three-point percentage of 41.4%. The Warriors probably won’t win, but that doesn’t mean Kuminga won’t put up big numbers from an individual standpoint. I expect him to do well here.
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