The Thursday night NBA slate features a just two games, starting with an NBA Finals rematch between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers.
The second clash on the ESPN doubleheader takes place at Chase Center in San Francisco, as the Denver Nuggets visit the Golden State Warriors at 10:30 p.m. ET.
The Warriors cruised past the Lakers in Tuesday’s opener, 119-109. The Nuggets are the last team in the league to take the court to tip off the 2025-26 season.
Let’s look at the Nuggets vs. Warriors prediction and picks for Thursday night.
Nuggets vs. Warriors Prediction, Preview for 10/23/25
The Nuggets captured their first NBA title in 2023, but have been eliminated in seven games in the second round in each of the past two postseasons.
The Warriors took care of their business in their opening night win over the Lakers, led by G Jimmy Butler III’s 31 points. Amazingly, Golden State hasn’t won a Pacific Division title since before the pandemic in the 2018-19 season.
The Nuggets aren’t dealing with any significant injuries, while the Warriors will be without G De’Anthony Melton, G Moses Moody, and rookie F Alex Toohey.
Denver Nuggets
- The Nuggets ranked fourth in the NBA last season in offensive rating at 118.9. Denver finished 50-32, while the three teams ahead of them in this category all won more than 61 games.
- Denver owned a 115.1 defensive rating, which was 21st in the league. Out of the 13 lowest rated defense teams, the Nuggets were the only club with a winning record.
- Along with the strong offensive rating came with the second-highest EFG% in the league at 57.3% behind Cleveland.
Golden State Warriors
- The Warriors shared the ball well last season, leading the NBA with 71.4% of their field goals being assisted.
- Head coach Steve Kerr’s club ranked 20th in the NBA in EFG% last season at 53.6%. Although it’s only one game, the Warriors torched the Lakers on EFG% at 59.6% in Tuesday’s opener.
- Golden State dropped two of three matchups with Denver last season, but won the final meeting in April, 118-104.
Nuggets vs. Warriors Picks & NBA DFS
Warriors G Stephen Curry vs. Nuggets Projection: 25.5 Points
- Curry scored 23 points in the opening win over the Lakers on 6-of-14 shooting from the floor.
- In the first two matchups with Denver last season, Curry was held to 24 and 20 points. However, he exploded in the April victory with 36 points, including hitting 7 treys.
- Last season, Curry actually averaged less at home (23.1 points per game) compared to on the road (25.9 ppg).
- The Nuggets ranked 22nd in the NBA in opposing 3-point shooting, but they moved up to 12th in that category on the road.
Nuggets C Nikola Jokic vs. Warriors Projection: 49.5 PRA
- Jokic averaged a triple-double last season, posting 29.6 ppg, 12.7 rebounds a game, and 10.2 assists per game.
- The three-time MVP scored 33 points, pulled down 12 rebounds, and dished out 9 assists in his last matchup with Golden State on April 4.
- Jokic’s PRA average in 2024-2025 was 51.0 on the road, compared to 54.1 at home.
- In six of the final nine playoff games last season, Jokic finished with less than 49.5 points, rebounds, and assists.
Warriors G Jimmy Butler III vs. Nuggets Projection: 18.5 Points
- Butler scored at least 30 points in three of 42 games with Golden State last season. He exploded for 31 points in the season opener against the Lakers, which included 16 made free throws.
- In four matchups against Denver last season, Butler scored 19 or more points twice. Those two performances came with Golden State, while being held to less than 18 points in the two meetings as a member of Miami before the All-Star break.
- Butler topped the 27-point mark in six of his final seven home games last season.
- HIs net rating prior to the All-Star break (25 games with Miami) sat at 3.2, but jumped to 9.5 following the break as a member of the Warriors.
Make Picks on NBA on PrizePicks
The Nuggets look for a fast start to the season, taking on a Warriors squad who put together an impressive showing in their opener against the Lakers.
There’s never been a better time to add to the excitement of every NBA moment than with PrizePicks.
There is a wide variety of player stat projections on the NBA board, so you can build your Lineup however you’d like — with no salary or positional restrictions. Just pick at least two player stat projections to build your Lineup on PrizePicks.
Check out the Playbook throughout the remainder of the NBA season for more analysis for your PrizePicks and NBA DFS Lineups.
