Odds favor Nuggets, but Butler gives Warriors hope

Two teams who would meet in the first round if the National Basketball Association (NBA) playoffs were held now, will get a chance for a statement win on March 17 (March 18, Singapore time) when the Denver Nuggets and Golden State Warriors duel at Chase Centre in San Francisco.

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The Nuggets (43-25) would have the home advantage in the third-against-sixth Western Conference series as well as a decided edge in recent head-to-head results, having beaten the Warriors (39-28) eight straight times, including 119-115 at home in December.

The teams have not met in the postseason since the first round in 2022, a series that the Warriors won 4-1 en route to the championship.

Denver have never seen Golden State with Jimmy Butler, but the Nuggets should be quite familiar with the former Miami Heat standout.

Denver and Miami met twice in the first half of the season, with Butler scoring 18 points in the most recent clash in January. The Nuggets won both games.

Butler has been on song since his trade in February, helping Golden State go 14-2, with one of the losses coming in the only game in which the forward did not play.