DENVER — The shorthanded Warriors hung with the Denver Nuggets for about half-hour of motion Thursday night time earlier than shedding steam to fall 134-117.
Enjoying with out Klay Thompson and Draymond Inexperienced on what was the night time after an unpleasant time beyond regulation loss in Minneapolis, Golden State trailed the Western Convention leaders by only one level at halftime and evened the rating halfway by the third. In the end, nonetheless, the Nuggets proved to be an excessive amount of.
Jordan Poole tied the sport at 85 with a layup with 5:19 left within the third, however the Nuggets would go on a 20-6 cost to shut out the quarter. The Warriors didn’t do themselves any favors, committing eight of their 17 turnovers within the third, together with six throughout that deadly Nuggets’ run.
The Warriors entered the ultimate quarter in a 14-point gap and couldn’t come again.
Stephen Curry had 28 factors, 5 rebounds and 5 assists and Poole added 22 factors, 5 assists, three rebounds and a steal, however the 26-26 Warriors couldn’t overthrow the highest staff within the West.
“Our guys battled all night time and that third quarter was simply an excessive amount of,” coach Steve Kerr mentioned after the Warriors suffered their second consecutive lose to finish the street journey 1-2. “We missed some photographs. I believed their protection picked up and we turned it over a number of occasions. They confirmed why they're one of the best staff within the West proper now. They’re taking part in at a excessive degree. That third quarter felt just like the distinction.”
Nuggets Jamal Murray scored 17 of his game-high 33 factors within the third. In the meantime, two-time reigning league MVP Nikola Jokic was additionally capable of have his manner earlier than ending the night time together with his seventeenth triple-double of the season, recording 22 factors, 14 rebounds and 16 assists in 33 minutes.
“He’s among the finest gamers within the league,” mentioned Kevon Looney, who was tasked with making an attempt to sluggish Jokic down. “It’s not simply scoring with him, he controls the sport together with his passing and rebounding and I feel tonight we let him perform a little little bit of every thing… he was capable of present the sport and do each and decide us an element a bit of bit.”
Inexperienced and Curry have been listed as questionable within the hours earlier than the sport however coach Steve Kerr mentioned he anticipated them each to be out there for the sport. Curry obtained the inexperienced mild to start out however Inexperienced was a late scratch after he skilled tightness in his proper calf after warmups.
After the sport, Kerr mentioned the assumption is Inexperienced’s calf damage is “one thing minor” however he’ll get it checked out again within the Bay. Inexperienced left a sport in January 2022 with a calf damage, which later developed right into a again damage that sidelined him for 31 video games.
With Inexperienced and Thompson out and the Warriors working on fumes, Kerr expanded his rotation to 10, paving the way in which for James Wiseman and Moses Moody to interrupt out of bench purgatory. Each had up-and-down showings. Wiseman, making his first look in a sport since Dec. 28, completed with 9 factors and two rebounds in 17 minutes, and Moody tallied two rebounds and an help in 16 minutes.
Kerr praised the bench’s total effort.
“Everyone contributed nicely,” he mentioned. Wiseman “got here in and appeared good. I believed JaMychal [Green] had a very good first half. It’s good to see him on the market after lacking the final couple of video games. Donte [DiVincenzo] continues to play at a excessive degree. I like what
we noticed from our bench tonight, however once more, we didn’t have sufficient.”
Scorching capturing stored the Warriors within the sport. They made 13 of their 19 3-pointers within the first half, capturing 50% on the night time from past the arc. Curry made 5 3s and Poole and DiVincenzo added 4 apiece.
The Warriors went 1-2 on this street journey and have misplaced 20 of their 27 away video games this season. They may return house to host the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday.