Getty Denver Nuggets guard Gary Harris
The Denver Nuggets currently hold the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, but the Golden State Warriors are hot on their trail, sitting just a half game back. On Tuesday night, the standings may shift unless the Nuggets are able to defend their home court advantage, something they’ve done well this season.
Entering this matchup, Denver sits at 29-13 with an 18-3 home record while the Warriors are 29-14 and 12-8 away from home. The Nuggets have currently won eight of their last 10 while their opponent has won four straight and seven of 10. Although there are plenty of storylines in this game, one hot-button topic will be the play of Nikola Jokic.
The Nuggets center has been exceptional of late and he’ll look to continue his hot run, and also build off a strong performance earlier this season against the Warriors. Let’s take a look at the Nuggets roster and starting lineup for this matchup as well as the latest on a few injuries.
Nuggets Roster & Starting Lineup vs. Warriors
| Position | Expected Starter | Backup | |
| Center | Nikola Jokic | Mason Plumlee | Thomas Welsh |
| Power Forward | Paul Millsap | Juan Hernangomez | Tyler Lydon |
| Small Forward | Torrey Craig | Will Barton | Trey Lyles (Q) |
| Shooting Guard | Gary Harris (Q) | Malik Beasley | |
| Point Guard | Jamal Murray | Monte Morris | Brandon Goodwin |
Both Gary Harris (hamstring tightness) and Trey Lyles (wrist sprain) are currently listed as questionable, per T.J. McBride of Mile High Sports. Harris has now missed four games while Lyles has been sidelined for the previous two. This has led to bigger minutes and increased roles for Malik Beasley and Mason Plumlee/Juan Hernangomez to some extent.
Both Beasley and fellow guard Monte Morris have stepped into solid roles this season, with the former emerging more as of late. Morris, who’s in his second season in the NBA, is averaging 10.0 points, 4.0 assists and 2.6 rebounds per game while playing 24.5 minutes. If Harris is sidelined, he could also be in line for a few additional minutes.
Update: Harris was able to get in a solid workout in pregame warmups, per McBride. In the end, the team opted to rule him out for this game, though.
Gary Harris is looking strong in warmups despite his left hamstring tightness. He’s only going about 70% speed, but looks good.
Nikola Jokic’s Dominant Play of Late
It’s hard to ignore the level Jokic has played at as of late. The 23-year-old big man is averaging 19.7 points, 10.2 rebounds and 7.5 assists per game this season, but through the month of January, he’s been scorching. Jokic has put together averages of 27.3 points, 12.1 rebounds and 7.9 assists through eight games this month while shooting 54 percent from the field.
Even more impressive than the all-around numbers is the fact that he’s posted a double-double in each of those eight games with three triple-doubles as well. Aside from James Harden, there’s arguably no one playing better in the NBA at this moment.
Jokic gets a chance to extend that stretch against a Warriors team the Nuggets faced once earlier this season. In that matchup, he totaled 23 points with 11 rebounds and six assists. Due to Golden State’s struggles against opposing big men, there’s a lot to like about this spot for him.
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