The Nuggets and Warriors have given NBA fans two entertaining games in their first round playoff series so far, but with things knotted up at 1-1, it’s only getting more serious.
Today, the Nuggets will travel to Oakland to for game three as both teams look to grab the upper hand in the series. The Warriors will have the home court advantage for the first time this postseason, but will be without All-Star David Lee for the second straight game after seeing him go down with an injury that will keep him out for the remainder of the postseason.
Without Lee in the middle, the Nuggets should have more opportunities to score in the paint, but their real challenge will be slowing down Golden State’s offense, which scored 131 points in game two, and its leading scorer, sharp shooter Stephen Curry.
“When he’s coming off screens, he’s pretty tough,” Nuggets point guard Ty Lawson said, according to ESPN.com. “This is probably the only player I’ve played against all year point guard-wise that I’ve had to chase off screens.”
Curry was certainly on in game two, draining 13 of 23 shots, but he struggled in game one, leading to the loss. If Denver is able to contain Curry, it will have a good chance to win game three and reclaim control of the series.
“In Game 1, we did a very good job on him,” Nuggets coach George Karl said. “He started getting loose in the second half and almost beat us. Game 2, he got loose and he beat us.”
Both teams were among the NBA leaders in scoring during the regular season, averaging more than 100 points per game, so we can expect another triple-digit shootout today, but who will prevail in game three? We’ll find out later tonight.
Let us know your prediction for the series!