Nuggets vs Warriors Odds & Picks: Golden State Looks To Finish Off Denver

The Warriors (56-30 SU, 44-38-4 ATS) can stamp their ticket to Round 2 with a victory tonight, but Denver (49-37, 38-48) won’t go down without a fight. The Nuggets try to stave off elimination once again when the teams meet in San Francisco, where Golden State has covered seven of the last nine meetings.

Nuggets vs Warriors Odds & Analysis

Sportsbook Odds 

The Warriors were favored by 6 and 7 points in their first two home games of the series, but oddsmakers opened them as 8.5-point chalk for tonight’s Game 5. Early Nuggets vs Warriors predictions still liked Golden State at the bigger number, moving the line to 9 by the time of writing. The total is also the highest it’s been in the series after each of the first four games sailed OVER the total.

Get the best Nuggets vs Warriors odds and lines available from our recommended sportsbooks for your favorite picks of the night.

Nuggets Have Been Dangerous Recently When Their Backs Are Against The Wall

Nikola Jokic has played like a reigning MVP in this series, averaging more than 31 points per game and scoring 37 in each of the last two. But the biggest reason the Nuggets broke into the win column in Game 4 was because Jokic finally got some offensive help, especially from Monte Morris.

Nineteen of the point guard’s 24 points on Sunday came in the second half, including a go-ahead floater in the final minute of regulation. Prior to Game 4, only one Nuggets player other than Jokic — Will Barton in Game 1 — had scored more than 18 points in a game.

If Denver’s track record in potential elimination games is any indication, expect the Nuggets to put up another strong fight tonight. The Nuggets overcame a pair of 3-1 series deficits two years ago in the bubble, and Sunday’s victory should add some confidence. “We see they’re beatable,” Morris told the Denver Post following Game 4.

Veteran Warriors Shouldn’t Be Rattled By Rare Subpar Performance In Game 4

Golden State had won and covered eight of its previous nine games going into Game 4, so don’t expect any panic from the veteran Warriors after Sunday’s subpar performance.

“We needed that,” head coach Steve Kerr told the Associated Press following the loss. “I felt like we got completely away from the game plan in the first half … we were almost too anxious to win the series.”

To finish off the Nuggets, Golden State may need its supporting cast to give more help to Klay Thompson and Steph Curry at the offensive end. The Splash Brothers combined for more than half of the Warriors’ points in Game 4 but Jordan Poole was held to just 11 points on 3-of-10 shooting and Andrew Wiggins was the only player besides Curry and Thompson to score more than 13 points.

Although Curry finished with a team-high 33 points, he missed eight of his 11 three-point attempts and 13 of 23 shots overall. Curry has come off the bench in each of the first four games of the series after recovering from a foot injury, but he saw 37 minutes of action on Sunday and could return to the starting lineup tonight.

Nuggets vs Warriors Pick & Insights

Nuggets: Keys To Cover

Big offensive numbers from Jokic have been a given in this series, but contributions from Morris, Barton and role players are critical to Denver being a winning Nuggets vs Warriors prediction tonight. The Nuggets should also try to build on the success they enjoyed in the paint in Game 4, when 29 of their 126 points came from the free-throw line.

Warriors: Keys To Cover

Despite still having a comfortable lead in this series, Golden State should be motivated to end things tonight and get some rest before the second round. That should be easier in front of a supportive crowd in San Francisco, where the Warriors have covered seven of their last nine against Denver.

Odds Shark’s Computer Nuggets vs Warriors Prediction: Nuggets +8

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