Warriors Bring Home Court Prowess Into Suddenly Chippy Series Vs. Nuggets

Thursday night, the Golden State Warriors host the Denver Nuggets, in Game 6 of their Western Conference first round series. The Warriors 3-2 series lead is particularly surprising considering that back in Game 1, the team not only went down in defeat, but also lost All-Star big man David Lee for the remainder of the playoffs (torn hip flexor). After their Game 1 setback, the Warriors went on to win the next three games, before losing Game 5 in Denver.

Considering that both of these teams are uptempo, high-octane offenses, this matchup has suddenly turned very chippy. The Warriors have accused the Nuggets of dirty play on star guard Stephen Curry, with Nuggets broadcaster Scott Hastings even resorting to calling Warriors coach Mark Jackson “Classless” for complaining about the hard fouls on Curry.

The Warriors could have the edge Thursday, as a result of the team's great home crowd. Golden State posted a 28-13 record at home this season, while the Nuggets were only 19-22, when playing away from Denver. The Warriors already took Games 3 and 4 in Oakland.