The 2023 NBA season is well underway now and the top teams are beginning to separate themselves from the pretenders at the top end of the divisions.
The big game on Wednesday night will see the Denver Nuggets play host to the Golden State Warriors, with two of the current top three teams in the Western Conference going head to head.
We'll take a look at the match-up and provide you with our best free NBA betting picks to try and earn you some extra cash while you enjoy the fantastic action on the court.
Learn more about how to bet on the NBA here.
Denver Nuggets vs Golden State Warriors information
- Wednesday, 8th November 2023
- Ball Arena, Denver, Colorado
- 22:00 ET tip-off
Season so far
Denver have had a majestic season so far with the best record in the entire NBA, going 7-1 across their first eight games of the campaign so far.
They opened with a 119-107 win over LeBron James' LA Lakers, before following that up with three more wins against the Memphis Grizzlies (108-104), Oklahoma City Thunder (128-95) and Utah Jazz (110-102).
Their first defeat of the season came in the next game against the Minnesota Timberwolves (89-110), but they have since bounced back with three consecutive wins over the Dallas Mavericks (125-114), Chicago Bulls (123-101) and New Orleans Pelicans (134-116).
In all eight games it's last season's NBA Finals MVP Nikola Jokic who has been the top scorer for the team, with a total of 227 points to his name as he continues to stake his claim as the best player in the NBA.
Golden State on the other hand have had an excellent season so far too, registering a 6-2 record to seat them third in the standings in the West.
They opened the season with a defeat against the Phoenix Suns (104-108), before a run of five consecutive wins against the Sacramento Kings (122-114), Houston Rockets (106-95), New Orleans Pelicans (130-102), Sacramento Kings (102-101) and Oklahoma City Thunder (141-139).
That run got snapped against the Cleveland Cavaliers (104-115), before a win last time out against the Detroit Pistons (120-109) got them back on track.
Like Jokic, the Warriors have seen star man Stephen Curry be their top scorer in every game this season with a combined total of 247 points as he cements his legacy as one of the greatest scorers in NBA history.
NBA picks: Denver Nuggets -3 @ -110
These are two of the very best teams in the NBA today and absolutely nobody will be surprised if they end up competing in the Western Conference Final at the end of the season.
But while the Nuggets are the reigning NBA champions right now and have the best performing player in the league guiding them all the way and making it look easy in the process, Golden State are relying way too heavily on Curry to deliver the goods despite the fact he is aging.
Curry is scoring 30.7 points per game while he also contributes 5.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game this season, showing just how important he is. Defensively they've not been the greatest, and with Jokic averaging 26.3 points per game, 13.0 rebounds and 7.7 assists that is a big problem. If either of those two don't perform for whatever reason, it's the Nuggets who have the deeper roster to make up for it.
When you consider that the -3 line has been covered by Nuggets in all of their last 5 games at home, in 9 of their last 10 games in total and by Nuggets in 6 consecutive games at home, them doing it again here looks like a fantastic value bet at -110.
Check out our review for BetOnline sports betting here.
NBA picks: Under 227.5 total points @ -110
So far this season Golden State are averaging 116.1 points per game while the Nuggets are averaging 117 points per game. If both teams match their averages then the over will land.
But despite that, the team that wins this game will have to be at their best defensively and that means stopping the opponent doing what they are best at.
That means Denver will have to stop Curry and Klay Thompson from hitting threes, which immediately means that they are likely to score less points than usual. In the same breath, if Golden State are able to prevent Jokic from scoring so freely that means they're likely to leave others more open and that could see them punished.
Usually when top teams go toe-to-toe in the NBA we see a more cagey affair than normal, and with the spread set at 227.5 points it seems more likely that the Under will land.
Only two of Denver's games this season have seen the points total surpassed, while four of the Warriors' games have gone past the 227.5 points mark.
It will be close, but if Denver are going to win as we predict they will then they're likely to prevent Golden State from scoring freely and that should be enough to ensure that this ticket cashes.
Check out our review for MyBookie sports betting here.
