Warriors vs. Nuggets Prediction and Odds for December 3: Jokic, Curry Go Head-to-Head

The Golden State Warriors and Denver Nuggets will clash in an In-Season Tournament matchup between two recent NBA champions on Tuesday.

The Dubs lost four straight games after starting the season on a sensational 12-3 run. Draymond Green is doubtful with a calf injury, which will leave them depleted as they attempt to slow down the red-hot Nikola Jokic.

On the other side, the Nuggets are only two games above .500 and are looking to rebound from a loss to the Los Angeles Clippers their last time on the court.

Here, we will analyze the matchup and share our favorite Warriors vs. Nuggets betting picks for the In-Season Tournament.

Warriors vs. Nuggets Betting Odds for Tuesday, December 3

The Warriors are 11-8 (57.9 percent) against the spread, 6-5 (54.6 percent) ATS on the road, and 5-2 (71.4 percent) ATS as an underdog.

The Nuggets are 7-10-1 (41.2 percent), 3-5-1 (37.5 percent) ATS at home, and 3-9-1 (25 percent) ATS as a favorite.

The following odds for the Pelicans vs. Hawks game are courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Place your bets at BetMGM and claim up to $1,500 in bonus bets* with our promo code WSNSPORTS.

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Warriors vs. Nuggets Prediction

Golden State Warriors Preview

The Warriors are taking a unique approach to the season—weirdly, so too are the Memphis Grizzlies, which suggests that there may be some credence to Steve Kerr’s philosophy.

Whereas Kerr abided by the standard nine- or 10-man rotations that are commonplace in the NBA in years past, he chose to regularly play 12 or 13 players in every game. The logic behind this is that it allows the players to give maximum effort in quick bursts before they are replaced by capable teammates without much of a decline in performance. 

Whether or not Kerr’s test withstands the burden of an 82-game regular season schedule, the Dubs rank sixth in the NBA with a net rating of +7.0. They allowed the fourth-fewest and scored the ninth-most points per 100 possessions, and that’s with Steph Curry scoring 22.5 points per game, his fewest since the 2011-12 campaign.

Although the Warriors are not the biggest team in the world, they attack the glass as a unit and are eighth in rebound rate. They also cut down on the carelessness that plagued them last year and are 13th in turnover rate while they allowed opponents to make just 32.7 percent of their three-point attempts, the best mark in the NBA. 

Golden State can play with pace in transition, get long-range shots up in a hurry, or use their space to get downhill and attack the rim. 

They struggled on both ends in their recent outings, and the question now becomes if they will be able to guard Jokic without having Draymond on the floor.

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Denver Nuggets Preview

While the Warriors were struggling, no team had a higher offensive rating over the last four games than the Nuggets. They are now sixth in the category for the year, but they’re down to 19th in points allowed per 100 possessions.

An extremely heavy burden has been placed on the shoulders of Jokic, a three-time MVP who could be well on his way to winning yet another award. He averaged 29.6 points (fourth), 13.2 rebounds (first), and 10.7 assists (second) while shooting 56.2 percent from the field and 50.8 percent from three, and yet his team is barely above .500.

While Jokic has been sensational, and someone like Chrisitan Braun has shown improvement, Jamal Murray’s regression has been a significant hindrance to the team’s bottom line. The former world champion averaged 18.1 points and 6.2 assists on 42.4 percent shooting (33.3 percent from three) and has not attracted the same gravity from defenses as he did a couple of years ago.

The Nuggets as a whole haven’t been good at home. They’re 5-4 but were outscored by an average of 0.9 points per 100 possessions in their building, which ranks 19th in the league. Golden State, for comparison, is 7-3 on the road with a +6.8 net rating (third).

The Nuggets are also totally average on the glass and just about the same as the Warriors in turnover percentage despite having the towering presence of Jokic.

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Warriors vs. Nuggets Betting Pick

My pick: Warriors +4.5 (-105) at BetMGM

There are pros and cons for both teams, whether they be injuries, contextual performances, runs of form, star players, or overall performances.

The Warriors’ style gives them a chance to survive the injury of Green… on offense. Finding a way to slow down Jokic, who is on another planet right now, without their best defender is a whole other issue, though Murray and the Nuggets’ supporting cast haven’t been great.

This game may come down to the final moments, but we’d look at the Warriors’ depth and performances on the road as a reason to believe that they can bounce back and cover the spread on Tuesday.

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How to Watch Warriors vs. Nuggets on 12/3/24

• When: Tuesday, Dec. 3 @ 8:00/10:00 p.m. CT/ET

• Where: Ball Arena, Denver, CO

• TV: TNT

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