Denver Nuggets vs Golden State Warriors: Will Denver Improve on Their Perimeter Defence?

• Jamal Murray and the Denver Nuggets look to make a statement over their conference rivals.
• Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors want to improve on what was an impressive opening night performance.
• The Nuggets won last year's regular season series over the Warriors, 3-1.

Denver Nuggets vs Golden State Warriors Predictions and Pick

The Golden State Warriors are coming off of an impressive home opener. While the Nuggets gave the Warriors trouble last year, expect this early-season matchup to go in the way of Golden State.

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Golden State Warriors def. Denver Nuggets

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Head-to-Head: Denver Nuggets vs Golden State Warriors

* 2021-22 Leaders for Denver Nuggets

Injury Report

DEN: Will Denver Improve on Their Perimeter Defence?

Despite winning three games against the Golden State Warriors last year, the Nuggets struggled through the season with their perimeter defence. Given their issues stopping opponents at the point of attack, Denver will need to tighten the screws against the Warriors.

Without a doubt, the Golden State Warriors epitomize ball movement and scoring efficiency in the NBA. While the Nuggets defend the three-point line decently well, they were 28th in the NBA last season in two-point field goal percentage allowed at 54.9%.

In their first game against the Lakers, the Warriors tore apart the defence to the tune of 53.7% shooting inside the arc. If Denver can't set the defensive tone early, Golden State could hand them an early loss.

Nuggets Key Player: (C) Nikola Jokic

Two-time Most Valuable Player Award winner Nikola Jokic is the obvious focal point for the Denver Nuggets. On paper they don't look like the most intimidating team, but Jokic has shown in the past that he can be too much to handle.

Through four meetings with the Warriors last season, Jokic was excellent. He averaged 28.0 points, 15.8 rebounds, and 8.8 assists in 34 minutes per game. His three-point shooting left much to be desired, converting on just 16% of his attempts, but their three wins speaks for itself.

Now sporting a proper front court with Kevon Looney and a healthy James Wiseman, it'll be interesting to see whether or not the Jokic can make the same impact. Regardless of outcome, you can count on Jokic being Denver's most productive player.

GSW: Golden State Need to Force the Issue

The Golden State Warriors showed that they're in great form when they won their season opener. When they take on the Denver Nuggets, they need control the pace of the game early.

Despite the victory, the Golden State Warriors were slow out of the gate in their first game. They scored 25 points, but shot just 29.2% from the field and 27.3% from three-point range. It wasn't that the Lakers defence was suffocating, Golden State were just far off the mark when trying to create chances for Curry.

If Golden State can create some easy baskets to open the game, it'll set them up well for the rest of the game. Denver don't have the same offensive firepower as them, so the more they can control the game the better.

Warriors Key Player: (G) Jordan Poole

After signing a massive contract extension, all eyes were on Jordan Poole to have a star making performance in his first game of the season. Instead, he struggled, but Poole showed that there's more to his game than just scoring.

In 28 minutes of the Warriors opening night win over the Los Angeles Lakers, Poole posted 12 points, 7 assists, and 2 steals. He struggled to shoot the ball, converting on just 4 of his 15 shot attempts and going 2 of 9 from three-point range.

Poole was solid in three games against the Nuggets last season, posting averages of 22.7 points and 6.3 assists. It's unlikely his usage will be as high this time out, 27.2% last season, so he'll need to improve on his efficiency to make an impact.

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