The No. 6 seed Denver Nuggets (48-34) and No. 3 seed Golden State Warriors (53-29) face off in the first round of the 2022 NBA Playoffs.
Which team will win the series and advance to Western Conference semifinals?
Check out these odds, picks and predictions for the NBA postseason series.
The Warriors are favorited over the Nuggets in the series, according to Tipico Sportsbook.
It puts Golden State at -250 to advance. Denver is at +200.
NBA Playoffs first-round series picks, predictions, odds:
For the Win: Warriors will take down Nuggets in first round
Charles Curtis predicts that it will be a close first-round series.
NBA Playoffs schedule, television info.: How to watch
Sportsnaut: Warriors will defeat Nuggets in five games
Vincent Frank writes: “As for the Golden State Warriors, they finished the regular season winning five consecutive games to secure the third seed and a Round 1 matchup against the Denver Nuggets. The better news? Golden State will return Stephen Curry for Game 1 of that series and is riding the hot hand of Klay Thompson (41 points in season finale against the Pelicans). … It would also be hard to ignore the Denver Nuggets. Sure they have played without Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. all season. They are also taking on the Warriors in Round 1. In no way does this mean Denver doesn’t stand a chance with reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokic doing his thing.”
NBA Playoffs game picks, predictions, odds:
Five Thirty Eight: Warriors have an 80% chance to make conference semifinals
The site gives the Nuggets a 20% chance to upset the Warriors and advance to the Western Conference semifinals.
Fansided: Warriors will be upset in first round
Michael Saenz writes: “Through the first half of the season, there was not a team that was playing at a higher level than the Golden State Warriors. However, since about January, much of that has changed. It started with an injury to Draymond Green and the Warriors still have not quite looked right since then. Even though the expectation is that Stephen Curry will be back for the postseason, I’m not entirely sold on the Warriors getting back to the level of play that they were at during the beginning of the season. The Warriors are going to have a huge target on their backs and this is a team that could be subjected to an upset in the first round, especially if Steph isn’t 100 percent when he returns from injury.”
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Mercury News: Warriors will defeat Nuggets in six games
Michael Nowels writes: “Beyond Gordon, the Nuggets don’t have many plus defenders to slow the Warriors at the point of attack. If they choose to use him on Curry, that means Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole will match up against Will Barton and Monte Morris. Either of those matchups is a win for the Warriors on the offensive end as Morris in particular simply doesn’t have the size to guard up a position in most situations.”
Sporting News: Warriors will advance past Nuggets in NBA Playoffs
Three of the site’s four experts picks Golden State to win the series in six games. One writer picks the Nuggets to win in seven games.
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NBA.com: Warriors will win series in six games
Mark Medina writes: “Unlike during their five Finals runs, the Warriors won’t just breeze through the first-round without many hiccups. The Nuggets have beaten the Warriors in three out of four regular-season matchups and Jokic can dominate against anyone. It is possible Curry will need at least some games in this series to knock some rust off his game. Still, the Warriors would only lose this series if something catastrophic happens to one of their three stars. Otherwise, Golden State simply has more talent and depth than Denver.”
NBA’s highest paid players in 2021-22 season:
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Reach Jeremy Cluff at jeremy.cluff@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Denver Nuggets vs. Golden State Warriors picks, odds NBA Playoffs