NBA: Red-hot Warriors look to take down Nikola Jokic, Nuggets
Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors drives against Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets in the fourth quarter of the Emirates NBA Cup at Ball Arena on December 3, 2024 in Denver, Colorado. Matthew Stockman/Getty Images/AFP
Two teams that would meet in the first round if the playoffs started today get a chance for a statement win Monday night when the Denver Nuggets and Golden State Warriors duel in San Francisco.
The Nuggets (43-25) would have the home-court advantage in the 3 vs. 6 Western Conference series as well as a decided edge in recent head-to-head results, having beaten the Warriors (39-28) eight straight times, including 119-115 at home in December.
The clubs haven’t met in the postseason since 2022, a series the Warriors won 4-1 en route to the championship.
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Denver has never seen Golden State with Jimmy Butler, but the Nuggets should be quite familiar with the former Miami Heat standout. Denver and Miami met twice in the first half of the season, with Butler scoring 18 points in the most recent matchup in January.
The Nuggets won both games.
Butler hasn’t experienced much losing since his trade to the Warriors last month. Golden State has gone 14-2 since he joined the team, with one of the losses coming in the only game in which Butler did not play.
Golden State has won seven in a row since Butler got the day off in Philadelphia, allowing the Warriors to reach 11 games over .500 for the first time this season and moving them within 3 1/2 games of the Nuggets.
Warriors star Stephen Curry, who had 24 points and 11 assists in the earlier loss at Denver, acknowledges that sixth place — Golden State’s current position — is comforting being that it’s a guaranteed playoff spot. But he recognizes a lot can change in the West over the final 15 games.
“Sixth (place) has been a great floor for us right now, knowing that we still don’t have any comfort room or safety net. We have to keep winning,” he said. “We’ve won seven in a row. You always do what you can control, and that’s just win as many games as possible, take advantage of this homestand.”
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Riding the momentum of a 4-1 Eastern swing, the Warriors have opened a seven-game homestand with four straight victories. But Saturday’s 97-94 triumph over the New York Knicks was the toughest of the bunch, and also tipped off a rugged three-games-in-four-nights sequence that ends Tuesday against the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Nuggets have alternated wins and losses in their last six games. The roller coaster included beating the Los Angeles Lakers 131-126 on Friday, before getting shocked by the visiting Washington Wizards 126-123 the next night.
The Nuggets won’t catch the Oklahoma City Thunder for top seeding in the Western playoffs, but MVP candidate Nikola Jokic warns that doesn’t mean Denver should coast into the postseason.
“Who you are in the regular season, that’s who you are in the playoffs,” he said. “You cannot flip a switch. That doesn’t really exist.
“Yes, we are winning games. We can win. But I think that’s not (what’s most important). It’s in how we want to win. It’s just not good.”
Jokic recorded 40 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists during the loss to Washington. The Wizards won on Jordan Poole’s 35-foot, 3-pointers with 2.1 seconds left.
Jokic has recorded three triple-doubles during Denver’s eight-game winning streak over the Warriors. He had 38 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and five steals in the December victory.
