Week one of the 2025-26 NBA season continues on Thursday night with a double-header on ESPN. The twin bill is headlined in part by a huge Western Conference showdown between the Denver Nuggets and Golden State Warriors.
Let’s dive into my Nuggets vs. Warriors vs. predictions.
Denver Nuggets vs. Golden State Warriors odds
Money line: 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 #1: Warriors -1 (-110)
The Warriors are already in the flow of their season after looking good on Tuesday with a 119-109 road win over the Los Angeles Lakers. Yes, the Lakers were missing LeBron James–but it was still a solid performance by the visitors inside Crypto.com Arena. Golden State certainly isn’t a one-man team. It had no trouble winning its 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 outstanding defensively, forcing 19 turnovers (10 steals) and limiting L.A. to 8-for-32 shooting from three-point land.
It is true that Denver is well rested, but playing no games yet this season may not be an advantage. The Nuggets have not 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 in between games, travel from L.A. to the Bay Area is obviously minimal, plus they have momentum from a big win. It’s also worth noting that head coach Steve Kerr’s crew won the last head-to-head meeting of the 2024-25 regular season, beating the Nuggets 118-104 at home on April 4. Curry poured in 36 points on 7-for-15 marksmanship 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 was ice cold with his outside shot the previous two years, but on Tuesday he dialed long distance at a 4-for-6 clip. If opponents now have to respect Kuminga’s range, that will better allow him to do what he does best–which is get to the basket. That would be especially helpful against the Nuggets, who were not particularly good at defending the paint last season (allowed 51.1 such points per game, sixth most in the NBA).
Kuminga averaged 16.1 ppg and 15.3 ppg the past two season. At 23 years old, he is only getting better–and becoming more of a focal point on a team that is otherwise very old. He started hot against the Lakers and it should continue.
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