Bet On This: Nuggets Should Fare Better At Home vs. Warriors, And They'd Better

If the Denver Nuggets don't win now, the series is over. A lot of people think they have no shot to beat the Golden State Warriors, anyway. But fall behind by a 3-games-to-none deficit, and you really have no reason to show up for Game 4. We're talking about the Western Conference playoffs, where the Nuggets currently trail their series to the Warriors, 2-0. Game 3 is Thursday night in the Mile High City (10 p.m. EST, TNT). Now, let's keep in mind that the Warriors have won each of the first two games at home. And they say a series really doesn't start until each team gets a home game.

But let's back up a minute. Let's talk about Game 2, where the Nuggets held the lead, seemed to have things together ... then totally collapsed. Teammates Will Barton and DeMarcus Cousins even got into it on the sideline. It was a complete meltdown.

“We’re getting our ass whupped and a lot of emotions flare up,” was how Nuggets guard Monte Morris explained it. “We’ve just got to be tougher and stay together. We’re not giving ourselves a chance to beat this team with a lot of mistakes.

"And also, we’ve got no f—ing chance if we’re going to be apart. We’ve got to stay locked in, stay together.” Those things can happen on the road, especially against an explosive team such as the Warriors, a veteran team with the likes of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green that is having a healthy, bounce-back season.

But things tend to change when teams are at home. Especially in Denver, home to the highest-elevated NBA arena in the land. Opposing teams can get gassed in the thin air. We've seen it happen. And right now, the Nuggets need every advantage they can get.

Basically, reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokic and the rest know this is basically their last chance. So expect Denver to pull out all the stops. PointsBet lists the Nuggets as 2.5-point underdogs. It's risky, but go ahead and take the Nuggets. They should get one game at home. This would be that game. If not, they should at least be able to take it down to the wire.

Meanwhile, the over-under is 223.5. The Warriors won the first game, 123-107. They won the second, 126-106. So both games went over. Go ahead and take the over in this one as well.

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