Warriors vs Nuggets Picks and Predictions: Postponed

Editor's Note: This preview was published prior to Thursday evening's announcement that Warriors-Nuggets has been postponed. 

On Thursday, the Golden State Warriors will get a chance to avenge Tuesday night’s loss to the Denver Nuggets. The two teams will meet at Ball Arena, where the Warriors will be looking to avoid losing back-to-back games for the first time all season. 

Is Denver going to upset Golden State for the second game in a row? Keep reading our Warriors vs. Nuggets NBA picks and predictions for December 30 to find out. 

Warriors vs Nuggets odds

Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.

The Warriors were 4.5-point favorites when this game became available, and they’re now laying between 4 and 5 points almost everywhere. The total, which opened at 212.5, is up as high as 214.5 now, but it can still be found at 213. 

Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right until tip-off and be sure to check out the full NBA odds before betting to ensure you get the best number.

Warriors vs Nuggets predictions

• Prediction: Nuggets +5 (-110)
• Prediction: Over 213 (-110)
• Best bet: Over 213 (-110)

Predictions made on 12/30/2021 at 10:45 a.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.

Warriors vs Nuggets game info

• Location: Ball Arena, Denver, CO
• Date: Thursday, December 30, 2021
• Tip-off: 9:30 p.m. ET
• TV: ALT, NBCS-BA, SN1

Warriors vs Nuggets betting preview

Injuries

Warriors: Draymond Green F (Out), Damion Lee G (Out), Klay Thompson G (Out), James Wiseman C (Out).
Nuggets: Austin Rivers G (Questionable), Aaron Gordon F (Questionable), Bol Bol C (Questionable), Monte Morris G (Questionable), Michael Porter Jr. F (Out), PJ Dozier G (Out), Jamal Murray G (Out).

Find our latest NBA injury reports.

Betting trend to know

The Over is 9-2 in Denver’s last 11 games as an underdog. Find more NBA betting trends for Warriors vs. Nuggets.

Warriors vs Nuggets picks and predictions

Our predictions are compiled from the analysis of the spread and total and are indications of where we are leaning for this game.
Our best bet is the play that we like the most for this game, which we would actually put some of our bankroll behind.

Spread analysis

While Golden State is much better than Denver this season, the Warriors are a different team with Green out of the lineup. The team looked lost for most of Tuesday’s game defensively, which makes sense considering Green is one of the best defensive players to ever play the game. And the team also was missing Green’s ability to pick defenses apart with his passing ability, too. 

With Green out last game, Nikola Jokic was also able to dominate inside for the Nuggets. He had 22 points, 18 rebounds, five assists, four steals and a block for Denver, and he should be able to similarly impact this one. Normally, Green would slide up to the center position and do his best to compete with Jokic in the paint, while also giving Golden State a huge offensive advantage on the other end. However, without the Warriors being able to play small ball, the Nuggets were able to take it to them. Kevon Looney is a good defender at the center position in his own right, but he doesn’t give Golden State the same juice on the other end. 

This game should end up being decided late in the fourth quarter, making the Nuggets a good value in this one. And if one of Denver’s guards can step it up again, it wouldn’t be too shocking if the team did ultimately pull another upset. 

Prediction: Nuggets +5 (-110)

Over/Under analysis

These two teams combined to score only 175 points when they played on Tuesday, but that game shouldn’t impact your thinking too much. Golden State has one of the best offenses in basketball this year, but the team shot just 42.3 percent from the floor in that one. The Warriors also turned the ball over 17 times, and it’s just hard to imagine them not getting more in line tonight.

The Over is 6-2 when Denver is an underdog of 3.5 to 9.5 points this season, and it’s also 10-3 in the 13 games the team has played as a home underdog over the last three years. With that in mind, both teams should be in for a better offensive performance here. 

Prediction: Over 213 (-110)

Best bet

With the total of this game being all the way up to 214.5 in some places, the fact you can still get this at 213 means it’s worth pouncing on. Just a few days ago, the total in the game between these two teams was 218, and this seems like a huge overreaction to a game in which both teams weren’t shooting the ball well. 

While Denver should be able to ultimately keep this game close, it’s unlikely that we’ll see Golden State taken so far out of its game two nights in a row. With that in mind, look for Steph Curry and Co. to pick up the pace and drive more scoring here. 

Pick: Over 213 (-110)

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