PREVIEW: Denver Nuggets (12-21) At Golden State Warriors (30-2) – Return Of The Curry, Iguodala For Rush

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Denver Nuggets (12-21) At Golden State Warriors (30-2)

Tip-off: Saturday, January 2nd, 2015 – 7:30 PST

Location: Oracle Arena, Oakland, CA

TV: CSN Bay Area or NBA League Pass | Radio: KNBR 680

Livetweet: @LetsGoWarriors #LetsGoWarriorsLive (@GSWdelivery)

Projected Starting Lineups:

Nuggets (PPG, RPG, APG)

PG: Jameer Nelson (8.0, 3.0, 4.8)

SG: Gary Harris (10.7, 2.6, 1.9)

SF: Danilo Gallinari (17.3, 5.9, 2.8)

PF: Kenneth Faried (12.6, 8.9, 1.1)

C: Joffrey Lauvergne (9.4, 6.1, 1.4)

Head Coach: Rick Carlisle (career: 637-444, 0.539)

Warriors (PPG, RPG, APG)

PG: Stephen Curry (30.5, 5.7, 6.4)

SG: Klay Thompson (19.9, 3.6, 2.3)

SF: Brandon Rush (4.8, 2.9, 0.8)

SF: Andre Iguodala (7.9, 4.4, 3.5)

PF: Draymond Green (14.6, 9.1, 7.2)

C: Andrew Bogut (5.8, 7.2, 2.1)

Head Coach: Luke Walton (career: 30-2, 0.938)*

* – “Warriors’ results under Luke Walton will count on Kerr’s (97-17, .851) official coaching record.” — Warriors’ PR

Game Notes

  • “Curry will play” — Sherwood Strauss, ESPN.com
  • Curry 5-for-7 from logo pregame in black colorways: [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcAxHxwe-UM&w=560&h=315]
  • Warriors PR announces injuries prior to Nuggets (James McAdoo also out): [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWpcfssuu2k&w=560&h=315]
  • Walton says Iguodala to start vs Nuggets, Curry to be monitored: [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCI23214DXA&w=560&h=315]
  • Walton says Brandon Rush (hamstring) was injured vs Dallas Mavericks: [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYXWF1GTdEM&w=560&h=315]
  • Curry at morning shootaround: [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRhFcuyfRX0&w=560&h=315]
  • Curry at morning shootaround media scrum, on his bruised left leg: [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syw1X0O1Jsk&w=560&h=315]
  • “‘I’m feeling better,’ Curry said of his bruised left lower leg after shootaround at the team’s downtown Oakland facility. ‘The health process has been pretty successful the past couple of days, so it should be good.’
    .
    Curry said he was close to playing Thursday in Houston, but he admits that would have been a mistake. Knowing his baseline for pain tolerance, he’ll warm up before Saturday’s game to check that his shootaround workout didn’t cause a setback.” — Rusty Simmons, San Francisco Chronicle
  • “‘I have a baseline of pain tolerance and where it’s at,’ Curry said. ‘If it’s better tonight, which I expect it to be, and I can do all the same moves that I did this morning, it should be fine.
    .
    ‘If for some reason it doesn’t react well to the work that I’ve put in over the last 24 hours, then I’ll know it as soon as I get out on the floor.'” — Monte Poole, CSN Bay Area
  • “Draymond Green vs. Kenneth Faried. These two don’t always square off, but they likely often will in this game. Both are high-energy players with different skill sets. Green’s task is to keep Faried off the glass, where he seeks easy buckets. Faried’s role will be far more difficult, as Green often directs the offense and is capable of pulling defenders out of the paint with his 3-point shooting.” — Poole
  • (Nuggets reserve small forward Will Barton): “He is Mr. Fourth Quarter right now. In his last seven games, he’s played 12.0 minutes per fourth quarter, posting a 27.1 usage rate with a sterling 63.2 true shooting percentage in the fourth. He is running away with the Pickup of the Year in fantasy and is the favorite for Sixth Man of the Year right now.” — Rotoworld.com
  • “Barring any morning setbacks, both Danilo Gallinari (ankle) and Jusuf Nurkic (knee) are both IN for tomorrow’s game at Golden St.” — Chris Dempsey, Denver Post
  • Denver injury report via Nuggets PR:
    • Nikola Jokic – Right Posterior Knee Soreness. Probable
    • Kostas Papanikolau – Left Ankle Sprain. Out
    • Emmanuel Mudiay – Right Ankle Deltoid Sprain. Out
    • Wilson Chandler – Right Hip Arthroscopic Surgery. Out

(Photo: @letsgowarriors Instagram account via NBAE/Getty & @matouskurecka)

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