THE BASICS
Tipoff: 5:30 p.m. Friday at Oracle Arena. TV: NBC Sports Bay Area. Radio: KGMZ 95.7 “The Game” in Oakland and San Francisco, KRTY 95.3 in San Jose, KION 1460 and 101.1 in Salinas and Monterey.
THE RECORDS
Warriors: 26-6, No. 1 in the Western Conference, a half-game ahead of Houston.
Nuggets: 17-15, tied for No. 5 with Oklahoma City in the Western Conference, nine games behind the Warriors.
LATEST RESULTS
Warriors: Defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 113-106 on Friday night for their 11th consecutive victory. And this time they managed to do it in regulation after edging Los Angeles in overtime in the two previous meetings. Golden State led by as many as 23 points in the third quarter before the Lakers rallied to take an 89-88 lead in the fourth quarter. Kevin Durant had 33 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and four blocked shots and rookie Jordan Bell had a career-high 20 points and 10 rebounds. Draymond Green returned to the lineup after missing five of six games because of a sore right shoulder and had 13 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists.
Nuggets: Defeated Portland 102-85 on Friday night in the Rose City. It was the Nuggets’ first win in Portland since Feb. 27, 2013. Center Nikola Jokic had 27 points, eight rebounds and six assists to lead Denver. Wilson Chandler added 21 points and 11 rebounds. The Trail Blazers were without Damian Lillard, who has a hamstring strain.
PREVIOUS MEETING
On Nov. 4, Golden State outscored Denver 43-21 in the third quarter to break open a close game and roll to a 127-108 victory. Durant scored 25 points and Stephen Curry had 22 and 11 assists.
INJURY UPDATE
It was only a matter of time before this list started shrinking. Curry has missed the past seven games games because of a sprained right ankle and has already been ruled out of the Christmas Day game against Cleveland. He will be re-evaluated after that. Zaza Pachulia has missed seven of the past eight games because of a sore left shoulder. Shaun Livingston has missed three games because of a sore right knee. Denver guard Emmanuel Mudiay has missed the past two games because of a right ankle sprain.
TURNOVER LAPSE
The Warriors helped fuel the Lakers’ rally with four turnovers early in the fourth quarter, leading to seven points during Los Angeles’ 17-4 run to start the period. For the night, Golden State had 16 turnovers that produced 23 Lakers points.
MISSING PIECE
The Nuggets have been hovering around the .500 mark despite losing forward Paul Millsap, who suffered a torn ligament in his left wrist on Nov. 13 against the Lakers. He had surgery a couple of weeks later and isn’t expected back until after the All-Star break in mid-February. Millsap, a four-time All-Star, was Denver’s big free agent acquisition from Atlanta. He has missed 16 games so far. With Millsap in the lineup, Denver is 9-7.
FRONT LINE STEPS UP
Against the Lakers, the Warriors got outstanding production from their frontcourt of Durant, Bell and Green. They combined for 66 points, 28 rebounds, 17 assists, five steals and five blocks.
DEFENSIVE UPGRADE
With Green back in the lineup, the Warriors’ defense looked good in the first half against the Lakers. They held Los Angeles to 44 points on 39.1 percent shooting (18 for 46).
BACK ON TRACK
The Nuggets’ Jokic has been back for four games since missing seven because of a left ankle sprain. In those games, he averaged 18.8 points, 8.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists in 30.0 minutes. Jokic is a skilled center who can be an offensive factor from almost anywhere in the front court. He is a reliable shooter (50.9 percent), even from 3-point range (39.2 percent), and is an excellent passer. For the season, he is averaging 15.5 points, 10.4 rebounds and 4.4 assists.
BEWARE OF …
The last time these teams met, Nuggets reserve shooting guard Will Barton torched the Warriors for 21 points, eight rebounds and five assists. In two games against Golden State last season, he averaged 19.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists and shot 46.2 percent on 3-pointers.
