The Denver Nuggets, fresh off a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, are down to just two games remaining before the All-Star break and currently hold a one-game lead over the Portland Trailblazers for the eighth seed in the Western Conference.
Denver now sets their sights on the league-leading Golden State Warriors, who they host at the Pepsi Center Monday. The Nuggets are looking for a statement win against one of the league’s elite teams and have a chance to catch a dominant Warriors coming off of a victory over Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Regular season game No. 55 | Denver Nuggets (24-30) vs Golden State Warriors (46-8)
Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado | 7:00 PM MST | TV: Altitude
Nuggets looking for statement win
The Nuggets have done quite a bit since the new year began to start to force their name back onto the national scene but the one thing that has eluded them is a victory over the NBA’s elite teams. Against teams that currently have 35 wins or more, or the top five teams in basketball, the Nuggets are a combined 1-7 with their only win coming against the 35-19 Boston Celtics way back on Nov. 6 of last year.
There are a few reasons to believe that this matchup against the Warriors could be the best opportunity to secure a win of that magnitude. First off, Golden State is currently five games better than the San Antonio Spurs, who are the second-best team in basketball, and they have just two games left, including the matchup with Denver, before the All-Star break. It is easy to lose focus against a team that the Warriors should beat easily with an eye looking towards the upcoming eight-day break.
In addition, the Warriors are coming off the emotional victory over the Thunder earlier this week. Kevin Durant made his first appearance back in Chesapeake Arena in Oklahoma City and was met with an almost inaudible collection of boos. While there were times where Durant and Westbrook were visibly exchanging words with each other, the game was never really close and Durant won his return to the arena he played half of his games in for the past eight years.
All of this combined with the fact that the Nuggets have the offensive firepower to score with any team in basketball leaves a window of opportunity slightly ajar for Denver to steal a win against the most scrutinized and dominant team in the league. Look for the Nuggets to come out with energy and a sense of urgency.
Footnotes
The Nuggets traded big man Jusuf Nurkic and a first-round pick for Portland big man Mason Plumlee and a second round pick. Plumlee will be in uniform Wednesday versus Minnesota at the earliest.
Danilo Gallinari is set to miss his seventh straight game and it is highly unlikely he plays against Minnesota either. Gallinari not playing before the All-Star break could hurt his trade stock and could make the reported teams “monitoring” his availability before the trade deadline think twice.
Kenneth Faried will also miss tonight’s matchup with a sprained ankle and reports are that he, along with Gallinari may not return until after the All-Star break.
