Warriors Drop Thriller to Nuggets in Denver

The Nuggets won a see-saw thriller 108-105 in Denver Wednesday night giving the Golden State their third loss after Steph Curry missed a good look on a floater and Klay Thompson lost the handle after beating the press with a chance to tie at the end of the game.

Overall, shooting was even. Golden State shot 43% from the field while Denver shot 44.6%, and both teams shot an identical 31.4% from downtown. The difference in the game came down to turnovers, and late game execution.

Despite the missed goal tend from Aaron Gordon on Steph Curry that Steve Kerr didn’t challenge, the Warriors were gifted prime opportunities to win this game and couldn’t capitalize.

In the final minute, Curry stole the ball and hit a contested three pointer to bring the game within two points at 107-105.

Nikola Jokic missed both free throws with a chance to ice it with 14.7 seconds remaining. On the Warrior’s next possession, Curry drove to the basket beating his man, but missed an open floater he’d like to have back.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was sent to the line, making his first free throw but missing the second. The miss went straight to Chris Paul, allowing him to hit Thompson in stride beating Aaron Gordon. Klay had time to heave a tying runner three, but the ball rolled in his hands. The ball never had a prayer of going in.

Neither Klay nor Curry could replicate their late game heroics from earlier this season. An opportunity squandered for the Warriors as they drop to 6-3 while Denver improves to 8-1.

A positive for the Warriors this year is that they aren’t being gashed by turnovers like they did last year, but they lost the turnover battle against the Nuggets. Golden State gave it up nine times to Denver’s six, giving up 14 points off turnovers to only eight. Both teams played a clean game, but the defending champions played a cleaner one.

Only Jokic and Curry eclipsed 20 points, with the former putting up 35 and the latter 23. Denver’s defense hounded Curry all night long, playing him tight and not allowing him much space. Even so, Curry’s had a hot start becoming the first player in NBA history to make 4+ threes in each of his first 9 games of a season.

Jokic carried the load for Denver adding 13 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals to his impressive point total. He showcased again to no surprise that he is threatening to win another MVP.

Both teams were missing valuable pieces. Denver will be without star guard Jamal Murray for around month with a hamstring issue, and Golden State was without Draymond Green (personal reasons) and Gary Payton II (illness). Golden State missed the defensive presence of both, while Denver surely lacked offensive production since the next highest scorer to Jokic was Michael Porter Jr with 17.

What Golden State felt more than the absence of Green and Payton were the struggles of Andrew Wiggins. He shot a tough 4-13 shooting night with 11 points and -6 rating. If he continues to average 10.8 points a game while shooting 17.6% from three, Steve Kerr may have give some of Wiggins’ 25.3 minutes to other bench guys who are producing more.

The first to claim more of his minutes might be Moses Moody. He scored 10 shooting 4-7 from the field, 2-3 from three, with 3 rebounds, an assist, and a steal. Whether he makes a brilliant cut to the basket, breaks the three point scoring drought, or ties the game with a three in the 3rd quarter, Moody seems to gain more confidence each outing. Moody makes good decisions, plays hard, and should be the first bench guy to see an uptick in minutes from the 14 he logged tonight. Simply put, he is a difference maker.

Rookie Trayce-Jackson Davis also played well, going 2-3 shooting and 4-5 from the charity stripe for 8 points adding a couple rebounds. Late in the 3rd quarter, Jackson-Davis got open and fouled on a breakaway giving the Warriors a lead when they trailed most of the game to that point. In the 4th, he was aggressive going to the basket and hit more free throws to take the lead again. He shown positive signs that he can contribute this season and beyond as he looks more NBA ready than James Wiseman did or even does now.

Jonathan Kuminga showed flashes of brilliance in an otherwise underwhelming 4-12 shooting night by playing defense and moving the ball well. Wiggins’ struggles could open up more time for Kuminga, who could benefit later in the postseason from getting more minutes in the early going.

The Warriors showed heart against the defending champs after playing their seventh road game in their first nine, finishing in the always adverse Denver altitude.

Good news for the Warriors, they will play six games in a row at home, and seven of their next eight. Expect Golden State to find themselves a groove at the Chase Center as they welcome back Green and Payton.