The Golden State Warriors are back home, searching for a response after a defensive no-show in their previous outing.
Against the Denver Nuggets, the margin for error is incredibly slim, making this a potential upset in the making for Golden State.
With the season series tied 1–1, this contest presents both a tone-setting opportunity and a compelling individual matchup: Nikola Jokic vs. Kristaps Porzingis.
Expect a showdown between the two star big men
Porzingis brought the crowd to its feet in his limited action last game, scoring 12 points in 17 minutes while warping the floor with his spacing.
The Warriors may have lost, but the potential when this team is healthy looked off the charts, and that energy radiated through the Chase Center.
Expect his workload to increase significantly.
The last time he faced Jokic in early December, Porzingis poured in 25 points on an absurd 84.7% true shooting, while Jokic countered with 40 in a one-point thriller.
The gamesmanship between the two will look like a chess match of sorts, and the demoralizing bravado will be cinematic as both spell doom for the opposing defense.
The Warriors have stopped Jokic before, but the Nuggets have never seen this team with Porzingis
Denver remains one of the most efficient offensive units in the NBA, orchestrated by Jokic’s playmaking genius.
However, defensively, they are more vulnerable.
Jokic is not a natural rim protector, and that is where Golden State must apply pressure.
The playmaking will be seamless for the Warriors if they execute and use Porzingis’ ability to stretch the arc and force Jokic into uncomfortable space.
If Denver switches, it risks mismatch concerns, but if Jokic stays in drop coverage to grab rebounds, Porzingis can punish that from beyond the arc.
The Warriors adding Porzingis, when they already shoot the most threes in the league, is almost unfair when things align.
Porzingis is shooting 36% from deep this season, but he is known to catch a hot hand; just last year, he had multiple games with eight threes made.
Pulling Jokic away from the rim also opens the glass for second-chance opportunities — an area the Warriors must dominate when Porzingis is forcing the defense to respect him on the perimeter.
Bringing back stellar defense
Most importantly, Golden State’s defense must reestablish its identity: connected rotations, early help on cutters, and great communication, limiting Denver’s ability to maximize Jokic offensively.
Letting Jokic score and containing the rest sounds like the best course of action, and he may go for 40+ again, but this time in a loss.
If the Warriors defend with urgency and leverage Porzingis’ spacing, they have a real opportunity to make a statement at home.
