Week one of the 2025-26 NBA season continues Thursday night with a doubleheader on ESPN. The dual bill is headlined in part by a huge Western Conference showdown between the Denver Nuggets and the Golden State Warriors.
Let’s take a look at my Nuggets vs. Warriors vs. predictions.
Denver Nuggets vs. Golden State Warriors Odds
Moneyline: Nuggets +100 / Warriors -120
Spread: Nuggets +1 (-110) / Warriors -1 (-110)
Total: Over 234 (-110) / Under 234 (-110)
Denver Nuggets vs. Golden State Best Bet No. 1: Warriors -1 (-110)
The Warriors are already in the groove of their season after looking good with a 119-109 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday. Yes, the Lakers missed LeBron James, but it was still a solid performance from the visitors at Crypto.com Arena. Golden State is certainly not a one-man team. It had no trouble winning the season opener, even though Stephen Curry finished with a modest 23 points. Jimmy Butler went for 31, Jonathan Kuminga produced 17 and Buddy Hield contributed 17 off the bench. The Warriors were excellent defensively, forcing 19 turnovers (10 steals) and limiting LA to 8-for-32 shooting from three-point land.
It’s true that Denver is well rested, but not playing any games yet this season can’t be an advantage. The Nuggets haven’t taken the court for meaningful basketball since Game 7 of last season’s Western Conference semifinals against the Oklahoma City Thunder. If anything, this could be an advantage for the Warriors. They had a full day off between games, travel from LA to the Bay Area is obviously minimal, and they have momentum coming off a big win. It’s also worth noting that head coach Steve Kerr’s squad won the final head-to-head meeting of the 2024-2025 regular season, defeating the Nuggets 118-104 at home on April 4. Curry scored 36 points on 7-for-15 shooting from downtown.
Denver Nuggets vs. Golden State Warriors best player prop bet: Jonathan Kuminga Over 15.5 points (-118)
Kuminga was impressive in the season opener, especially from downtown. He’s been ice cold with his outside shot the past two years, but on Tuesday he hit the long distance at a 4-for-6 clip. If opponents now have to respect Kuminga’s range, it will better allow him to do what he does best: get to the basket. That would be especially helpful against the Nuggets, who weren’t particularly good at defending the paint last season (allowing 51.1 such points per game, sixth-most in the NBA).
Kuminga averaged 16.1 ppg and 15.3 ppg over the past two seasons. At 23, he’s only getting better and is becoming more and more of a focal point for an otherwise very old team. He started well against the Lakers and should continue to do so.
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