Don’t look now, but the Golden State Warriors have been utterly fantastic since trading for Jimmy Butler and have caught all the way up to the Denver Nuggets in the standings. This game matters, and even though the Warriors played a clutch game last night, they may feel obligated to go all out for this one too.

Let’s delve into the final Golden State Warriors matchup:

Denver Nuggets @ Golden State Warriors

Projected Starting Lineups

Denver: Russell Westbrook, Christian Braun, Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon, Nikola Jokic

Golden State: Stephen Curry, Brandin Podziemski, Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green, Quentin Post

Key Bench Players

Denver: Jalen Pickett, Julian Strawther (!), Peyton Watson, Zeke Nnaji, DeAndre Jordan

Golden State: Buddy Hield, Moses Moody, Gui Santos, Jonathan Kuminga, Kevon Looney

Notable Injuries

Denver: Nikola Jokic – PROBABLE, Jamal Murray – QUESTIONABLE, Aaron Gordon – PROBABLE, Christian Braun – PROBABLE, Peyton Watson – QUESTIONABLE, Julian Strawther – QUESTIONABLE, DaRon Holmes II – OUT

Golden State: BACK-TO-BACK, some guys may rest, others may play, this game matters for the standings

Key for the Nuggets – Who’s Gonna Play?

For the Nuggets, Michael Porter Jr. is off the injury report following a personal absence. Nikola Jokic, Aaron Gordon, and Christian Braun will all play barring any setbacks. Jamal Murray and Peyton Watson are still questionable and miiiight play. The most intriguing change to the injury report is Julian Strawther, who’s now questionable for tonight after missing a month due to a knee sprain. The Nuggets are getting very close to having everyone back on the floor (except DaRon Holmes) which gives them the best chance for success in the playoffs. The Nuggets must remain cautious, but they’re getting close to full strength.

On the other side, the Warriors just played a clutch game vs the Los Angeles Lakers. After taking a puddle jumper back to San Francisco, it’s possible that the Warriors will rest some notable players. Still, I would expect Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler, and Draymond Green to all lobby to play. Denver’s defeated Golden State in nine straight matchups, and because these two teams are possible playoff opponents, those veterans will want to see Denver one more time if they can handle it.

Important Matchup – Nikola Jokic vs Draymond Green

Yesterday, Draymond Green went to the ESPN studios in LA and lobbied for a Defensive Player of the Year award. It’s a weird year for the award with Victor Wembanyama sidelined and no clear frontrunner emerging, so Green has a serious case. He could add to that case by limiting the effectiveness of the guy who had 61 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists the last time he played on Tuesday vs Rudy Gobert and the Minnesota Timberwolves.

If Green plays, he will spend some time on Jokic. Look for a major battle between those two. If it’s a decisive win for Jokic, that could hurt Green’s candidacy.

Number of the Day – Minus-4.1

-4.1 is the Net Rating of the Nikola Jokic + Russell Westbrook duo since the All-Star Break. Once Denver’s premier pairing during the middle of the season, the Nuggets have struggled a bit when Jokic and Westbrook share the floor since the All-Star Break.

It’s not just Westbrook who has struggled with Jokic for what it’s worth. Here are the other Nuggets rotation players when paired with Jokic post All-Star Break:

  • Jamal Murray: +6.9
  • Christian Braun: +9.1
  • Michael Porter Jr.: -0.1
  • Aaron Gordon: +12.6
  • Russell Westbrook: -4.1
  • Peyton Watson: -6.3
  • Zeke Nnaji: +13.2
  • Jalen Pickett: +3.7
  • Julian Strawther: +20.4! (in 6 games and 52 minutes on the court together)

Interestingly, among all of the duos, the Jokic-Westbrook pairing has the worst defensive rating of any Jokic duo Post ASB.

Nugget who should have a good game: Aaron Gordon

The Nuggets power forward is rolling right now. He just had 30 points, eight rebounds, and five assists on Tuesday, shooting with confidence from all over the court. He now shooting an absurd 46.1% from three-point range on the season. Let’s see if Gordon can keep it going playing off of Jokic and others tonight.