Warriors vs. Nuggets: What to watch for

The Warriors take on their early-season nemesis on Thursdaynight at Oracle -- the Denver Nuggets. The Warriors are off to a nice 8-6 startthis season, but two of those losses have come to Denver.The Warriors blew a late lead against the Nuggets a coupleof weeks ago in a double-overtime loss at home, then were beaten on the road byDenver after getting outscored 15-0 to start the second half.Here are some things to watch for during Thursdays gamebetween the Nuggets and Warriors:Establish backcourt consistency: Warriorspoint guard Stephen Curry and shooting guard Klay Thompson have had theirmoments this season but have hardly been consistent.Curry is shooting just 41.2 percent from the field thisseason, and his assist-to-turnover ratio is worse than two-to-one. Those aretroubling numbers for a starting point guard.Thompson has been shooting the ball poorly all season andthats been reflected in his 37-percent shooting. The nice thing for theWarriors is that Jarrett Jack has given coach Mark Jackson a security blanketand theyve been able to win consistently despite the starting backcourtwoes.But its a stretch to think the Warriors can continue to winconsistently with Curry and Thompson continuing their struggles from thefield.Avoid Bogut hangover: This has been a badweek for the Warriors front office -- with Boguts announcement that his Aprilsurgery was more invasive than most believed.Bogut indicated on Wednesday that he might not be backanytime soon and mentioned the possibility of his return taking anywhere fromone to three months.RELATED: Bogut's return up in the air
If thats the case, the Warriors are going to have tore-commit to winning without their big man, only now they know he might not beback for a little bit.Question is: Do the Warriors players believe they can hangon -- and perhaps even thrive -- without Bogut for a long stretch?RELATED: Can Warriors hang without Bogut?
Limit easy buckets: Kenneth Faried andJaVale McGee have given the Warriors problems in the first two games because oftheir size, energy and athleticism. Faried and McGee have given the Nuggetssecond-shot opportunities and allowed Denver to score too many baskets from inclose.Its important for the Warriors to limit the effectivenessof both of those players.