BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Warriors -1.5; over/under is 233.5
BOTTOM LINE: Denver faces Golden State in Western Conference action Thursday.
Golden State finished 48-34 overall and 29-23 in Western Conference action a season ago. The Warriors averaged 19.7 points off of turnovers, 15.6 second-chance points and 43.6 bench points last season.
Denver went 50-32 overall and 32-20 in Western Conference games during the 2024-25 season. The Nuggets averaged 120.8 points per game while shooting 50.6% from the field and 37.6% from deep last season.
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INJURIES: Warriors: Alex Toohey: day to day (knee), De’Anthony Melton: out (knee), Moses Moody: day to day (calf).
Nuggets: None listed.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Curtis Samuel was activated off Injured Reserve on Friday, solidifying the Buffalo Bills’ wide receiver position ahead of a critical Divisional Round matchup with the Denver Broncos.
With Samuel now on the active roster and expected to be part of the team’s game-day plans against Denver, there should be a clear pecking order for targets in this game.
Buffalo Bills activate Ed Oliver, WR from IR before Divisional Round vs. Broncos
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Buffalo Bills wide receiver Curtis Samuel (1) scores a touchdown against the New England Patriots during the second half at Highmark Stadium. | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
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Khalil Shakir has been the team’s leading receiver each of the past two seasons and is coming off a performance against the Jaguars this past week in which he hauled in all 12 of his targets. He will be the team’s top option once again vs. the Broncos.
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Behind Shakir, Brandin Cooks had a big game against the Jaguars as well, continuing his development into the downfield threat the Bills have been searching for throughout the year. He needs to be incorporated into the passing game early if Buffalo hopes to find the consistency required to push past one of the league’s top defenses.
Then you have Keon Coleman and Samuel, who will be jockeying for the leftover targets on the outside. Samuel’s history against the Broncos, which included a 55-yard touchdown in last year’s Wild Card game, may play in his favor. However, Coleman recorded an impressive 36-yard catch and run against the Broncos, and the Bills could elect to give him the leg up in terms of snap share on the critical postseason affair.
Mecole Hardman was elevated from the team’s practice squad on Friday but it remains unclear if he will suit up to play on Saturday.
MORE: Bills suddenly need forgotten WR ‘in right head space’ with season on line vs. Broncos
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Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Jarrian Jones (22) denies a touchdown by Buffalo Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman (0) during the second quarter in an NFL football AFC Wild Card playoff matchup. | Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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Tough matchup
It will be interesting to see how the Bills define the pecking order when the two teams take the field at 4:30 p.m. But regardless of which players see their fair share of targets, they will be going up against a talented Broncos’ secondary highlighted by reigning Defensive Player of the Year, cornerback Patrick Surtain II, paired with one of the league’s most fearsome pass rushes.
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It’s going to take a heroic effort from the Bills’ pass catchers to help sustain a Buffalo passing game that took positive steps a week ago.
Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Greg Newsome II (6) brings down Buffalo Bills wide receiver Khalil Shakir (10) during the first quarter in an NFL football AFC Wild Card playoff matchup, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. Bills lead 10-7 at the half over the Jaguars. | Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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A second person who was shot at a party in Denver celebrating the arrest of former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro nearly two weeks ago has died.
Police are still searching for the person responsible for the shooting on Jan.3, which left two people dead and two others wounded. The Denver Police Department said a large crowd gathered in a parking lot near South Galena Street and East Hampden Avenue late that night, and an argument broke out. Someone fired into the crowd, striking 16-year-old William Rodriguez Salas and three adults.
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The adults were taken to local hospitals for treatment. Police said a private vehicle also attempted to drive Salas to a hospital, but he died near South Havana Street and East Iliff Avenue.
On Friday, the DPD announced that one of the adult victims has died.
Authorities are still working to discover who was responsible for the shooting. They asked anyone with information on the case to contact Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at (720) 913-7867 or through their website.
Denver police are investigating a crash that killed a pedestrian Thursday evening. The Denver Police Department said the crash happened in the 1100 block of S. Colorado Boulevard, according to a post on the department’s official X account. That’s near E. Mississippi Avenue on the border of Glendale. The intersection where the crash happened has […]
