SAN FRANCISCO – The Warriors have been shredding the NBA ever since Jimmy Butler III arrived five weeks ago, so it was inevitable that they eventually would run into the league’s version of a brick wall.
Here comes Nikola Jokić, and the 6-foot-11, 285-pound center is bringing the Denver Nuggets (43-25) with him Monday night to face Golden State. Coverage on NBC Sports Bay Area begins at 6:00 p.m. with "Warriors Pregame Live," with tipoff at Chase Center scheduled for 7.
Though Jokić is listed as questionable (right elbow contusion, left ankle impingement) on Denver’s injury report, this is his fourth consecutive game on the injury report, and he averaged 38.4 minutes and 34 points over the first three. He’s expected to play.
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Jokić has won three of the last four MVP awards and is in a tight race with Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for the honor this season. Jokić is lapping the field in triple-doubles with 29 and is the only player in the top three in scoring, rebounding and assists. He is why the Nuggets are clinging to a top-four seed in the Western Conference.
The Warriors (39-28, sixth place) will approach Jokić as they do with all elite players, giving him a variety of looks from multiple defenders, with Draymond Green first in line. He’s smaller by five inches and 55 pounds, but that has not stopped him from taking the challenge.
“I feel very confident that most centers in the NBA, I can outthink,” Green said earlier this month. “Maybe not Joker.”
Green will have support from Kevon Looney and perhaps rookie Quinten Post, who is listed as questionable with right ankle soreness. It’s possible that Trayce Jackson-Davis will be dusted off and given a few minutes.
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As if Jokić himself weren’t enough of a problem, the Nuggets have become the biggest bully in Golden State’s life. Since losing to the Warriors in the 2022 conference semifinals, Denver has beaten them in eight consecutive games. And the last time the Warriors beat the Nuggets at Chase, on April 23, 2021, Alen Smailagić was on the roster.
Both teams' injury reports convey caution. Golden State superstar Stephen Curry is listed as questionable with a low back strain, though he powered through it Saturday to score 28 points in a home win over the Knicks. Denver’s Aaron Gordon (right calf, left ankle) and Jamal Murray (right ankle) also are listed as questionable.
The Warriors seem to have more at stake. They are 14-2 since Butler came aboard, and losing to their personal bullies would be at least a psychological setback.