Warriors enter the 2022 NBA Playoffs!
The Golden State Warriors and Denver Nuggets will contest Game 1 in the NBA Playoffs on April 17. The home side finished ahead of the visitors in the final standings of the regular season, but have only won the last of four duels this season, suggesting an evenly-matched series.
Golden State Warriors – Statistics & current form
The Warriors are anxious about Stephen Curry’s commitment in the postseason opener. The best three-point shooter in NBA history hasn’t played a game in a month, and it’s not clear at this point whether there will be enough for an on-point comeback in the playoffs.
But even if the “chef” returns to the court, it can be assumed that he will play under a minutes restriction.
More pleasing from the Californians’ point of view is the condition of Jordan Poole. The 22-year-old guard averaged 25.4 points last month and is averaging 22.4 points per game in April.
Both of those totals are very respectable, as he is averaging 18.5 points per game for the season.
Klay Thompson to fix it
The loss of Curry could thus be compensated for to some extent by Poole on the offensive side. This also applies to Klay Thompson. The “Splash Brother” scored at least 33 points for the troops of Head Coach Steve Kerr in the review of the last three games of the season.
Moreover, the five-time All-Star will be highly motivated. After around three years, Thompson, who has been injured for a long time, can finally play a part in the playoffs again, and it is certainly not something he rarely dreamed of during his endless hours in rehab.
Denver Nuggets – Statistics & current form
The basketball players from the Mile High City have never won the title or even the conference in their history.
Still, the Nuggets have been a top team in the NBA for quite a few years and have always reached at least the semifinals in the West in the flashback to the past three seasons.
Two years ago, head coach Michael Malone’s team even made it to the Conference Finals, where they were defeated by the eventual champions from Los Angeles in the form of the Lakers.
The recent upswing is of course linked to one name. We’re talking about Nikola Jokic, who won the title of MVP last season.
In the current season, the centre once again performed outstandingly and carried his team, which was plagued by numerous retirements, into the postseason with confidence.
Golden State Warriors – Denver Nuggets Tip
For the clash between the Golden State Warriors and Denver Nuggets in Game 1 on 04/17/2022, the betting includes more than 23.5 points by Klay Thompson on the part of the hosts.
With the home side’s best shooter Stephen Curry likely to be limited by injury at best, another “Splash Brother” will be called upon to step up at forward.
With his vast experience as a three-time champion, he will also be able to cope very well with the particularly high psychological pressure in the playoffs. Furthermore, the 32-year-old is in good form.
This can be seen in his average score of 36.6 in the past three league games! Bet365 offers odds of 1.80 for the Game 1 between the Warriors and Nuggets on 17 April.
