After three years, the Golden State Warriors have made it back to the playoffs. Their first opponent? That would be the Denver Nuggets, who are looking to upset the Warriors in the opening round. Check out our preview below of 2022 NBA Playoffs Game 1 of the Nuggets-Warriors series.
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Betting Preview for the Denver Nuggets vs Golden State Warriors NBA Playoffs Round 1 Game 1 on April 16, 2022
Where: Chase Center, San Francisco, CA
When: Saturday, April 16, 2022, 8:30 PM ET
Line: Denver Nuggets (+4.5) vs. Golden State Warriors (-4.5) – view all 2022-22 NBA lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
Betting on the Denver Nuggets (+4.5)
Regular Season Record: 48-34
The Nuggets will go as far as Nikola Jokic will go. There’s no doubt that Denver will be relying on Jokic a lot. They got 27.1 points, 13.8 rebounds, and 7.9 assists per game from the Serbian big man back in the regular season. He is leading the Nuggets in points by a mile, with Aaron Gordon second on the team with just 15.0 points per contest. Moreover, the Nuggets scored 8.4 points more per 100 possessions when Jokic was on the floor in the regular season, while getting outscored by 7.9 points per the same amount of possessions when he’s outside of the game. The bulk of Golden State’s defensive game plan is surely centered on Jokic, so guys like Monte Morris, Will Barton, Jeff Green, and Gordon will have to step up. Morris and Green stood out against Golden State this season, as they averaged 16.7 points on 58.1 percent shooting and 10.3 points on 53.6 percent shooting, respectively, in those contests.
The Nuggets are 7-3 against the spread in their last 10 games away from home.
Betting on the Golden State Warriors (-4.5)
Regular Season Record: 53-29
Stopping Jokic is going to be a tall order for the Warriors. But they are confident that Draymond Green will help them slow down the Nuggets’ star. But don’t sleep on the impact of Kevon Looney, who managed to make six stops in the 15 times Jokic posted him up back in the regular season. That’s not really an impressive number, but it shows that Looney can hold his own perhaps better than most bigs when trying to impede Jokic. Aside from Jokic, a big concern for the Warriors at the moment is the availability of Stephen Curry. The two-time league MVP hasn’t played in 12 games due to a left foot injury. His current status for Game 1 against Denver is uncertain. If he gets ultimately ruled out, the Warriors still have enough firepower to take care of Denver’s defense that was just 16th in adjusted defensive rating. There are the likes of Jordan Poole and Klay Thompson to spread the floor for the Warriors. Speaking of Poole, he had a 125.8 offensive rating in four games against Denver.
The Warriors are 6-4 against the spread in their last 10 home games.
Writer’s Prediction
The Warriors win, 114-111.
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