The Golden State Warriors bring their two-game road swing to an end when they journey to the Ball Arena to face the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday evening.
Having lost each of their last four matches, Steve Kerr's men will head into this one desperate to stop the rot as they look to end their run of eight back-to-back defeats against the Nuggets.
Match preview
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The Denver Nuggets were denied a fourth consecutive road victory on Tuesday evening as they fell 126-122 against the Los Angeles Clippers when the sides locked horns at the Intuit Dome.
Denver led by as many as 10 points in the third quarter but a 39-point 11-assist double-double from James Harden and Norman Powell's 28 points led the Clippers' fightback as they improved to 13-9 this season.
It has been a topsy-turvy two weeks for the Denver Nuggets, who have managed three wins and lost five of their last eight matches, having won five back-to-back games preceding this run.
Michael Malone's men have now lost eight of their 18 matches to start the campaign while picking up 10 wins to sit ninth in the Western Conference standings, only above the San Antonio Spurs in the top-10 places.
The Nuggets now bring their two-game road trip to an end as they return to the Ball Arena, where they have won five of their last seven matches, with the two defeats in that time coming in their two most recent outings.
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Meanwhile, questions are beginning to be asked about the Golden State Warriors' genuine title credentials as they were on the receiving end of a 113-105 defeat against the Phoenix Suns on Saturday night.
Having missed the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder two days earlier, Stephen Curry endured a cold shooting night, going 8-21 from the field, but still put up 23 points, while Draymond Green knocked down 13 points to go with seven assists and two rebounds.
However, it was Devin Booker and Kevin Durant who stole the show at the Footprint Center as they combined for 48 points, with the latter grabbing 10 rebounds to complete his first double-double of the season and hand the Suns just their second win in eight games.
The Golden States Warriors have now dropped four consecutive matches, suffering defeats against the San Antonio Spurs, Brooklyn Nets, the Thunder and the Suns — the first time that the Dubs have lost four straight outings since November 2023, when they lost six back-to-back games.
This slump in form has seen Kerr's side slide down into fourth place in the Western Conference Power Rankings as they now hold a 12-7 record, having gone 12-3 from their opening 15 matches to start the campaign.
While the Warriors will be looking to find their feet on Wednesday, they go up against an opposing side who have won each of the last eight meetings between the teams, stretching back to a 102-98 defeat in their playoff first-round clash in April 2022.
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Team News
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Nuggets coach Malone recently confirmed that Vlatko Cancar has been sidelined for the foreseeable future due to an ankle injury and the 27-year-old forward is ruled out of Tuesday's tie.
DaRon Holmes II suffered a freak Achilles tendon injury in the NBA Summer League opener against the Clippers in July and the rookie is expected to sit out the entire 2024-25 campaign.
Meanwhile, with his block on Durant in the defeat against the Suns on Sunday, Green has now moved into second-place in the Warriors' all-time blocked shots list with 837 rejections.
On the injury front, Kerr will be unable to call upon the services of guard De'Anthony Melton, who has been ruled out for the remainder of the season through an ACL injury.
Denver Nuggets possible starting 5:
Murray, Braun, Jokic, Porter Jr, Watson
Golden State Warriors possible starting 5:
Podziemski, Curry, Green, Kuminga, Wiggins
We say: Denver Nuggets to win by 3+ points
It has been a one-sided affair in the last eight meetings between the Denver Nuggets and the Golden State Warriors, with Malone's men coming out on top in each of the eight encounters.
The Warriors have lost each of their four matches since losing Melton to injury, and while they boast the beat away record in the West, we fancy the Nuggets to come away with the desired result here.
Joshua Ojele
