Friday’s NBA Cup nightcap between the Denver Nuggets and Golden State Warriors could be lopsided with superstar guard Steph Curry out.
The pregame narrative: Curry is sidelined with an illness, and Jimmy Butler (back) is questionable as well. Denver owns a spotless bill of health and is a 10-point home favourite as a result. The Nuggets hosted the Warriors, with Curry, back in October and lost in an overtime thriller.
Check out my Warriors vs. Nuggets SGP, featuring picks on Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray.
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Warriors vs. Nuggets SGP predictions
Parlay: Nuggets -4.5 | Jokic over 12.5 rebounds | Murray 20+ points (+300)
Nuggets -4.5 (-315): I’m backing both of Denver’s stars to produce, so I’m naturally keen on taking the Denver as a teased-down favourite.
Golden State has only gotten blown out once this season (139-119 vs. Portland), but this feels like a good spot for No. 2.
Curry was out of the lineup on Wednesday, and the Warriors lost 121-116 against their intrastate rival Sacramento Kings — a team with a preseason 35.5 win total projection.
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Denver is capable of running up the score, especially at home, and is the only team with a top-five offensive rating (third) and defensive rating (fourth) so far.
The Nuggets have covered this spread in five of their last six games.
NBA SGP legs
Jokic over 12.5 rebounds (-115): A few days ago, I backed Phoenix Suns centre Mark Williams to go over his 8.5 rebounding total agianst the Warriors. He finished with 16 rebounds in just 28 minutes.
Golden State will remain a team I want to fade on the glass untill proven otherwise.
The undersized Warriors are only giving one player above 6-foot-8 considerable minutes, and that’s 7-foot sophomore Quinten Post, who plays just 14.7 minutes a night.
Butler and Draymond Green are both tenacious rebounders, but the former is questionable, and the latter is playing through rib discomfort.
-> Bet on Nikola Jokic futures markets
Jokic is among the league’s best rebounders and should feast tonight.
He’s 5-2 against this line (clearing it vs. Golden State), while landing on 12 rebounds in one of the outliers.
Murray 20+ points (-150): The Warriors are allowing the seventh-most PPG to opposing point guards, per Fantasy Pros, and Murray had 25 points against them on opening night.
The guard is in a mini-slump right now, shooting 31.3% over his past two games, but he’s still firing with volume.
-> Bet on tonight’s Warriors vs. Nuggets game
Murray has taken at least 14 shots in every game and is averaging 18.1 FGA on the season. I trust the Canadian to shoot his way out of it.
In his last seven games against the Warriors, Murray is 6-1 against this line while averaging 25.1 PPG.
Warriors vs. Nuggets SGP made at 9:30 a.m. ET 11/07/2025.
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Avery joined NorthStar Gaming as an intern in 2022 before stepping into a full-time role soon after. He loves betting on and analyzing golf — mainly because it’s easier than actually playing — but is a fan of all sports, from the NFL to the UFC.