NBA Playoffs: Denver Nuggets Possess Upset Potential, but It’s a Slim Shot

Written By T.J. McBride on 04/15/2022
Nuggets-Warriors playoff preview 041522

The moment has finally come.

The Denver Nuggets are in the finals after an 82-game time.

At 6:30 p.m.( MT ) on Saturday, their best-of-seven first-round series against the Golden State Warriors kicks off at Chase Center in San Francisco. The live broadcast will be broadcast on ABC( KMGH – 7 in Denver ).

The remaining episodes of the series are scheduled as follows(* if required ):

    Game 2: Monday at Golden State at 8 p.m.( TNT )

  • Game 3: Thursday at 8 p.m.( TNT ) in Denver.
  • Game 4: April 24( ABC ), 1:30 p.m. in Denver.
  • Game 5: April 27 at Golden State, TBA.
  • Game 6: April 29 in Denver, TBA.
  • Game 7: May 1 at Golden State, TBA.

The Nuggets may be attempting to steal the home court edge straight away.

Colorado&;s online sportsbooksare prepared.

And so are the state&;s NBA playoffs bettors.

Let’s dive right on.

This season’s past matches don’t really matter.

In their four games this season, the Nuggets defeated the Warriors 3 – 1.

However, it can be challenging to spot a lot of investment in regular-season games.

Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and the Warriors & were out in the first game. The Nuggets & , Monte Morris, and Aaron Gordon were also present.

Along with Denver and That & , Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. They each missed nearly the entire winter and all four games against Golden State.

Only Green was missing in motion in the next game.

However, in addition to the Nuggets & , Will Barton, Thompson, Green, and Stephen Curry were absent from the third meeting.

Finally, Green and Barton both missed the contest in the third contest.

Game 1 of the playoffs series will be played without significant prior knowledge of how each team has played this year due to all the primary players that are missing from each squad.

That invites a good amount of conflict.

Simply keep an eye on the accounts of injuries. Prop bets will be impacted across the board by significant breaks on either side.

Who will be able to participate in Game 1 and who won’t?

The most crucial query before Saturday & ’s opener is this one.

Who among Murray, Porter, and Curry may play in Game 1 again?

Curry may be playing as far as the Nuggets are involved.

With the Warriors, the previous league MVP has been working out. He stepped points up on Thursday by taking part in a whole game.

&;We&;ll see how everything goes with Steph,” Golden State head coach Steve Kerr told reporters recently via SI.com. &;There is a chance he could be ready for Game 1, there is a chance he might not. It&;s literally going to be a day-to-day thing as it unfolds this week.

After the next few days, when he & is ramping up his work, & , We & requo will know a lot more. & rdquo,

Murray and Curry are in a related situation, with one significant distinction. On Wednesday, Murray practiced with the Nuggets in part, and he is getting ready to profit.

On Wednesday, head coach Michael Malone announced his return for the opening round of the & , doubtful, and / or. Murray, however, is about to resume playing the game.

Porter is a different tale.

He has no ramped up as quickly and is further behind Murray.

Despite not being eliminated so far, MPJ’s return this postseason seems extremely doubtful.

Can Denver & Rsquo’s defense take the lead?

The Nuggets’ inability to contain the Warriors & , backcourt, is likely to be the reason if The Warriors win this series quickly.

And whether Curry is playing or not, that & .

Denver may be taken down from the periphery by Thompson, Jordan Poole, and Andrew Wiggins.

As the year went on, Morris and Barton fought competitively. and the Nuggets & perimeter defense quickly became a source of worry.

The problems do not improve after the terrace.

Both Bryn Forbes, a notoriously poor keeper, and rookie Bones Hyland, who clearly has protective deficiencies, add very little to perimeter containment.

Against one of the Warriors & , perimeter players & mdash, most likely Thompson or Wiggins, Denver will heavily rely on Gordon. You can rely on Austin Rivers off the chair as well.

But people must take action in Denver.

Bigs that are at the screen’s levels must be present. People will need to be connected, troops will have to fight over screens, and off-ball assistance may be needed to move slowly.

Denver was not designed to withstand a perimeter-heavy Warriors & attack.

And when good, it will take intense focus on a high level of execution to counteract an offensive that may be dominant.

Will Jokic get sufficient assistance?

The goal of Golden State & ’s defensive game plan will be to contain Nikola Jokic.

The Warriors may accept defeat from anyone other than Jokic regardless of the situation.

The good back-to-back league MVP will be attacked by waves of defenders.

Golden State did undoubtedly employ a variety of erratic double-teams and refer switches to derail any timing on the hoop’s passes and paths.

Jokic will undoubtedly find a way to index.

However, if his teammates do not move up and pay the large man more attention, the Nuggets will have to leave quickly.

Morris needs to take opened catch-and-shoot three-pointers and get to his range jumper with aggression.

Gordon must eliminate post-match incompatibilities and quicken the pace of the move.

In the meantime, Barton must move quickly and downward, with or without a screen, to dismantle the Warriors’ security while distributing the floor.

And Hyland needs to maintain his composure. In his first playoff line, he had struck available 3-pointers and reduce his errors.

The Nuggets had, most importantly, figure out a way to prevent total collapse as soon as Jokic gets up to sleep on the bench.

It won’t be simple, won & .

Additionally, finding a roster of players to preserve the Nuggets in the water may require several adjustments.

But it’ll become crucial to their success.

Warriors win in six games, according to a set forecast.

The Nuggets do indeed have the best person in the league.

However, if Curry performs as anticipated, the Nuggets will find it nearly impossible to defend this Warriors group.

They will only be able to counter-punch with Jokic & , whose post-ups are only worth two points, even if they are successful in limiting Golden State andrquo’s three-point onslaught.

The Nuggets are on the wrong side of the math equation That & .

Betting the Warriors to win in exactly six games as of Thursday, was priced at +400 at BetMGM Colorado Sportsbook.

And after four or five games, this series might be over if Denver is unable to consistently champion Golden State and fails to produce its own three-pointers.

However, having Jokic, who is arguably the best player in the world, gives Denver some leeway.

Jokic alone is for a win or two even if the line is not overly competitive.

Image by Shutterstock
McBride, T. J. Avatar
authored by

McBride, T. J.

McBride, T. J. is a Denver-based NBA and Denver Nuggets reporter who brings his in-depth professional basketball expertise to PlayinСolorado via his weekly Betting Nuggets columns. He is a Southern California native with nearly eight years of experience covering the NBA.

View all posts by McBride, T. J.