The Warriors vs Nuggets preview centers on two teams heading in opposite directions early in the 2026-27 season. Golden State visits Denver on Monday, Oct. 26 at Ball Arena with tip set for 10 p.m. ET, carrying an 0-3 record into a building where the Nuggets have won in their only home outing this season. Denver sits at 1-1 and enters off a 141-135 overtime win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday.
The biggest question is whether the Warriors can find their footing against a Nuggets team anchored by Nikola Jokic, who is averaging a near triple-double through two games.
Golden State Warriors Vs Denver Nuggets Game Information
- Date: Monday, Oct. 26
- Time: 10 p.m. ET
- Venue: Ball Arena, Denver, CO
- TV: NBCSN
- Series: Season series starts Oct. 26
Can The Warriors Snap Their Three-Game Skid?
Golden State has dropped three straight to open the season, most recently a 131-122 loss at Phoenix on Sunday. The Warriors are last in the Pacific Division at 0-3 and have been outscored in their last two losses despite averaging 111.7 points per game as a team. Stephen Curry leads Golden State at 23.5 points per game, but the Warriors have been inconsistent defensively, ranking behind Denver in defensive rebounding at 23.0 per game compared to the Nuggets’ 35.5.
Yaxel Lendeborg has emerged as a steadying presence, posting 18.7 points, 8.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game, numbers that lead the team in rebounding and rate among its best all-around production. For more on Golden State’s recent trip-ups, see the recap of Booker’s 43-point night against the Warriors and the Grizzlies vs Warriors preview from earlier in the week.
What Does Denver’s Injury Report Look Like Entering Monday?
The Nuggets list forwards Alpha Diallo (right arm wrist) and Cameron Johnson (right ankle sprain) as day-to-day, with both carrying a return date of Oct. 26, meaning their availability for Monday’s game is uncertain. Forward Spencer Jones (hamstring) is out with a projected return of Oct. 28, and guard Julian Strawther (left knee sprain) remains out with a return date listed as Nov. 29. Golden State’s own health situation is thin up front.
Center Kristaps Porzingis remains out with an illness and a projected return date of Dec. 1, and guard Moses Moody is out following knee surgery with the same target return date. Guard Brandon Williams (back soreness), forward Gui Santos (knee tendinitis) and center Charles Bassey (knee) are all day-to-day for Golden State with Monday listed as their potential return date. Background on Porzingis’s situation is available in the Warriors’ announcement that he is out indefinitely and the report on Golden State exploring trade options involving the center.
How Have Both Teams Trended Over Their Last Five Games?
Denver has won three of its last five games, including Sunday’s overtime victory over New Orleans, but also suffered a 96-84 loss at Oklahoma City on Oct. 23. The Nuggets are 1-0 at home this season after their lone outing at Ball Arena. Golden State has lost three straight after opening with wins over the Lakers and Trail Blazers, falling to the Lakers 127-105, the Grizzlies 111-108 and the Suns 131-122 in that stretch. The Warriors’ per-game assist average of 24.0 outpaces Denver’s 21.5, but turnovers have been a shared issue, with Golden State averaging 16.7 giveaways per game to Denver’s 16.5.
What Is The Key Matchup To Watch?
Denver’s frontcourt production through Jokic, who is averaging 24.0 points, 11.0 rebounds and 7.5 assists per game, poses a direct challenge to a Warriors defense that ranks last among the two sides in defensive rebounding at 23.0 per game. Golden State’s defensive rebounding total trails Denver’s by 12.5 boards per game, a gap that has shown up in the Warriors’ three losses this season. How Golden State’s frontcourt rotation, thinned by the absences of Porzingis and Moody, handles Jokic on the glass and in the paint will shape whether the Warriors can stay competitive into the fourth quarter.
What To Watch
Golden State enters Monday looking to avoid an 0-4 start, a mark that would leave the Warriors at the bottom of the Pacific Division standings. Denver, currently 1.5 games behind the Northwest Division-leading Oklahoma City Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves, is looking to build on its Sunday overtime win and establish early footing in a division where Portland is also off to a 2-0 start. With both teams managing injury absences in their frontcourts and backcourts, rotation depth figures to be a factor throughout the game.
More NBA news from Total Apex Sports.
Don't stop here
Every Score. Every Story. One Home.
Breaking sports, entertainment and news from across the Total Apex network, updated all day.
Get the Full Story →
