Christmas Day may end up telling the truth about the Warriors faster than anything else in 2026-27.
Golden State is set to close out the NBA’s five-game Christmas slate against the Denver Nuggets at Chase Center, and that placement says plenty. The league clearly still sees Stephen Curry as a draw, even if this roster does not inspire a ton of confidence beyond him. In a schedule headlined by LeBron James and the Philadelphia 76ers going to Los Angeles to face the Luka Dončić-led Lakers, plus a Spurs-at-Knicks NBA Finals rematch, the Warriors still landed a national spotlight.
That spotlight will be squarely on Curry. In every national TV game Golden State plays, he’s going to be the name that matters most, the player asked to keep the whole thing from drifting.
That’s why the Christmas matchup with Denver feels so important. Early in the season, the Warriors are going to spend a lot of time waiting - waiting for Jimmy Butler’s return, waiting to see what injuries hit the roster, waiting for the season to show them what kind of team they really are. Against the Nuggets, they get their first real measuring stick.
The Warriors don’t need to beat Denver. But they do need to show they can survive the moment.
Denver is coming off a disappointing first-round exit against the Minnesota Timberwolves, yet it still looks like a serious Western Conference team. Second-apron pressure could push them to lose Peyton Watson, but Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray remain one of the league’s most dangerous two-man combinations. If Christian Braun and Cameron Johnson take steps forward in 2026-27, that only pushes Denver further back into contender territory.
That makes the Nuggets a smart early test for Golden State. They’re good enough to expose flaws, but not so overwhelming that the game feels hopeless from the jump. If the Warriors were facing the Oklahoma City Thunder or the San Antonio Spurs, the picture might be a lot darker.
For Golden State, the path is pretty clear. Curry is going to have to carry a heavy load again if the team wants any kind of early-season traction.
The goal isn’t to be sitting near the top of the West by Christmas. It’s to stay afloat, avoid a deep hole in the standings, and give Butler a chance to come back around mid-season without the season already slipping away.
If the Warriors can hang around the Play-In mix, build some momentum, and get a stretch of rest late in the regular season, that would count as a success for this group.
If not - if they’re near the bottom of the West and get steamrolled by Denver without Butler - then Christmas Day won’t just be a marquee game. It’ll be a warning sign.
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Los Angeles will bring plenty of intrigue into that opener as well, starting its first game without LeBron James after his reported offseason move to the Philadelphia 76ers. The Lakers still have the look of a team built to contend after making the playoffs last season, even if their run ended at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder, which gives this matchup an added edge for Golden State right out of the gate. [Read more 🡒]