Two of the most recent NBA champions, the Denver Nuggets and the Golden State Warriors will highlight the Christmas program in the NBA. The Dub Nation only recently jumped over the .500 record, mainly because they posted several wins in the past two weeks. On the other side, the Nuggets are in good shape, and they, too, have a nice streak of victories.
Even though the hosts stand as favorites ahead of this matchup, knowing Steph Curry and his teammates, the Warriors will have a considerable motive to show their quality and remind the entire country about their greatness. Plus, they are entering this matchup fired up after five victories.
Nuggets, Jokic Still Keeping the High Pace
The Denver Nuggets won four in a row, three of them away from Colorado, which makes this streak even more valuable. After handling the Dallas Mavericks (at Ball Arena) without any problems, the Nuggets defeated the Raptors, the Nets, and the Hornets, all in 4 days.
Nikola Jokic could even find you a spot in grocery store's parking lot these days 😎pic.twitter.com/VWsuBP5VDa
— BasketNews (@BasketNews_com) December 24, 2023
Some think the champs are tired at this point, but we don’t believe in such a scenario. Mike Malone has enough depth on the rooster, with several players ready to jump in and help the starters. Of course, Nikola Jokic is the critical piece of this unit, and the two-time MVP averages 26.4 points, with 12.3 rebounds and 9.2 assists.
Ball Arena in Denver is one of the most hostile places in the entire NBA, and so far this year, the Nuggets recorded 11 victories and only two defeats in front of their own crowd.
Warriors Heating Up
After a very slow start of the season, the Golden State Warriors shifted into a higher gear these days, and it’s no wonder to see them putting up five consecutive victories. We must stress that the recent schedule was a bit lighter, with Golden State playing four events at home.
This excellent series started with a victory over the Brooklyn Nets at Chase Center, continued with a win over the Trailblazers in Oregon, and extended with three triumphs in a row at home against the Celtics, Wizards, and Trailblazers again.
An encouraging fact for all the Dub Nation fans is that Steph Curry and Klay Thompson combined for 55 points in the most recent appearance while shooting 22 for 34 from the field. Curry has been delivering 28.3 points per game in only 33 minutes on the floor, making him extremely lethal, but that is nothing new for one of the best shooters of all time.
Nuggets VS Warriors Head to head
Denver Nuggets have already hosted the Warriors once this season. The result of that matchup was 108 to 105 for the champions, who squeezed out a victory after a dramatic finish. Nikola Jokic had 35 points and 13 rebounds, while Reggie Jackson added 20 buckets. On the other side, Curry had 23 points.
Nuggets VS Warriors Predictions
It is evident that the Warriors are on the rise and that their current results are much better than before. However, we will always bet on the Nuggets when playing at home because they have one of the nastiest crowds and best atmospheres in the league. On top of that, the champs are also on the ascend, which is why our final pick is the host to triumph in this spectacle.
Here are the BetXchange odds for this and other NBA matchups.
