Warriors Surge Into Showdown Against Jokic and the Nuggets: Can They End Denver’s Dominance?

The Golden State Warriors and Denver Nuggets clash in San Francisco on Monday in a potential playoff preview. If the postseason started today, these two teams would face off in the first round, with the Nuggets holding home-court advantage as the third seed in the Western Conference.

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Denver (43-25) has dominated the recent head-to-head matchups, winning eight straight against Golden State (39-28), including a 119-115 victory at home in December. The Warriors haven’t defeated the Nuggets since their 2022 playoff series, when they took the first-round matchup 4-1 en route to a championship.

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Golden State’s current roster presents a new challenge for Denver. Jimmy Butler, acquired from Miami last month, has helped propel the Warriors to a 14-2 record since his arrival. In those 16 games, the team’s only losses came when Butler didn’t play. His presence has injected new energy into the squad, which has won seven straight games and climbed to 11 games above .500 for the first time this season. Now, they sit just 3.5 games behind Denver.

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Stephen Curry, who tallied 24 points and 11 assists in Golden State’s December loss to the Nuggets, understands the significance of their current playoff positioning. The Warriors currently hold the sixth seed—a guaranteed playoff spot—but Curry knows the standings could shift dramatically in the final 15 games of the season.

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“Sixth place has been a great floor for us right now, but we don’t have any comfort room or safety net. We have to keep winning,” Curry said. “We’ve won seven in a row. You always do what you can control, and that’s just win as many games as possible, take advantage of this homestand.”

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Golden State continues a seven-game homestand, having already secured four consecutive wins. Their latest triumph, a 97-94 grind against the New York Knicks, marked the start of a tough three-game stretch that concludes Tuesday against the Milwaukee Bucks.

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Denver, meanwhile, has struggled with consistency, alternating wins and losses over its last six games. The Nuggets edged out the Los Angeles Lakers 131-126 on Friday but then suffered an unexpected 126-123 loss to the Washington Wizards on Saturday.

Nikola Jokic, Denver’s MVP frontrunner, remains focused despite his team’s recent inconsistency. He believes the Nuggets must sharpen their approach before the playoffs.

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“Who you are in the regular season, that’s who you are in the playoffs,” Jokic said. “You cannot flip a switch. That doesn’t really exist. Yes, we are winning games. We can win. But I think it’s about how we want to win. Right now, it’s just not good.”

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Jokic delivered a monster performance against Washington, finishing with 40 points, 13 rebounds, and nine assists. He has tormented the Warriors throughout Denver’s eight-game winning streak in the rivalry, posting three triple-doubles during that stretch. In the Nuggets’ December win, he recorded 38 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, and five steals.

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As the Warriors continue surging and the Nuggets battle inconsistency, Monday’s game could set the tone for a potential playoff showdown. Can Golden State finally break Denver’s dominance, or will Jokic and the Nuggets continue their reign over the reigning champions?

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