Two MVPs will face off in primetime on NBA Thursday on TNT, with Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets traveling to play Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors. This is the third matchup for the two teams this season, with Denver winning each of the first two. The last was on Christmas Day when the Nuggets won 120-114, but the Warriors covered a +7.5 spread.
After a very tough start to the season, the Warriors are playing much better, winning six of their last nine games, all of which have come without all-star forward Draymond Green. The Nuggets have been one of the best and most consistent teams in the league this season. Denver is 24-11 and has been a solid spread bet recently, covering two of their last three and five of their last eight. The two teams differ in point totals, as Denver has hit the UNDER in their last two, and Golden State has hit the OVER.
Here are the live odds for Thursday's Western Conference battle tipping off at 10 p.m. ET. Check out the betting news for the Denver Nuggets and Golden State Warriors, players' props from BetMGM Sportsbook and a betting prediction for tonight's Jokic vs. Curry matchup.
Live odds for Nuggets vs. Warriors
Check out the spread, moneyline and total points live odds for NBA Thursday with Denver at Golden State at the top online sportsbook apps.
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Denver Nuggets betting news
The Nuggets have been playing some of their best basketball of the season, winning seven of their last eight games and 10 of their last 12. The Nuggets rely heavily on two-time MVP Nikola Jokic, who is having one of the best seasons of his career. He could be on his way to his third MVP Award if he keeps up his current pace and stays healthy.
The Serbian center is scoring 25.7 points per game, with 12.3 rebounds and 9.1 assists per night. He has played in 34 of 35 games and leads the NBA with 11 triple-doubles this season. Jokic is not alone, as he has been on some of his previous Nuggets teams; quite the opposite, in fact, as he is getting a ton of contributions from his supporting cast.
Five other Denver players are averaging double figures, including Jamal Murray (19.7 PPG), Michael Porter Jr. (16.3 PPG), Aaron Gordon (13.4 PPG), Reggie Jackson (12.3 PPG) and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (10 PPG). With such a well-balanced offensive attack, the Warriors will have their hands full, especially without their defensive lynchpin, Draymond Green, who is still serving a suspension.
Golden State Warriors betting news
The Warriors are going through an up-and-down season and have started to overcome a very challenging start to the year. There has been a lot of discussion about whether this team is simply too old and doesn't have the top speed to compete with teams like the Nuggets come playoff time. One player who is defying the age issue is Steph Curry, who at 35 years old is carrying the Warriors in many respects.
The Davidson alum averages 27.6 points per night, shooting 45.8% from the field and 41% from three. It is also unfair to put the team's win-loss success on him because he needs more help. Still, over the last 10 games Golden State is 5-0 when he scores over 25 points. When Curry scores 25 or less, the Warriors are 1-4.
He needs his splash brother Klay Thompson to be more efficient; while scoring 16.7 PPG, he is doing it on rough shooting percentages (42% FG, 37.7% 3P). The bright spot for the Warriors outside of Curry has been the emergence of Jonathan Kuminga. The third-year forward is averaging double figures for the first time with 12.7 PPG and is shooting 50.2% from the field.
Nuggets vs. Warriors game props at BetMGM Sportsbook
NBA bettors can always find great odds for player props at BetMGM Sportsbook. The markets below are a few of our favorites for tonight's late game for NBA Thursday on TNT.
Stephen Curry prop bets
- 28.5 points OVER (-110) / UNDER (-125)
- 5.5 assists OVER (+120) / UNDER (-160)
- 3.5 rebounds OVER (-140) / UNDER (+105)
Klay Thompson prop bets
- 15.5 points OVER (-110) / UNDER (-120)
- 1.5 assists OVER (-150) / UNDER (+110)
- 2.5 rebounds OVER (-175) / UNDER (+130)
Chris Paul prop bets
- 10.5 points OVER (-105) / UNDER (-130)
- 7.5 assists OVER (-125) / UNDER (-105)
- 3.5 rebounds OVER (+100) / UNDER (-135)
Nikola Jokic prop bets
- 25.5 points OVER (-120) / UNDER (-115)
- 9.5 assists OVER (+110) / UNDER (-150)
- 12.5 rebounds OVER (-130) / UNDER (-105)
Jamal Murray prop bets
- 22.5 points OVER (-105) / UNDER (-125)
- 6.5 assists OVER (+100) / UNDER (-135)
- 3.5 rebounds OVER (-140) / UNDER (+105)
Michael Porter Jr. prop bets
- 16.5 points OVER (-110) / UNDER (-120)
- 1.5 assists OVER (+160) / UNDER (-225)
- 6.5 rebounds OVER (-145) / UNDER (+105)
Nuggets vs. Warriors prediction: Warriors pull off upset as home underdog
Stephen Curry is coming off an excellent game where he scored 36 points, leading the Warriors to a win over the Magic on Tuesday. He regularly has big games in primetime matchups and is trying to will this Golden State team to turn the corner and start looking like a challenger for an NBA title.
A win over the Nuggets would be a huge momentum builder for a sputtering Warriors squad. Playing at home, Curry should have a 40-plus point outing and make several big shots down the stretch of the fourth quarter to pull off the upset over Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets.
Pick: Warriors ML
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