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Golden State Warriors: 3 takeaways from a disappointing loss in Denver

By Clay Schrager

OAKLAND, CA - OCTOBER 16: Klay Thompson #11 of the Golden State Warriors looks on against the Oklahoma City Thunder on October 16, 2018 at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Zach Beeker/NBAE via Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA - OCTOBER 16: Klay Thompson #11 of the Golden State Warriors looks on against the Oklahoma City Thunder on October 16, 2018 at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Zach Beeker/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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This is only the third game of the year but the Golden State Warriors have shown their usual stretches of brilliance. They have also shown where they still need to improve. 

Sadly, the Golden State Warriors dropped their first game, a hard fought contest against the Denver Nuggets.

  1. We need to foul less

Yes, not all of the calls in this game were favorable to the Warriors.

The Denver Nuggets were getting away with a little more but there were some questionable calls on both ends. Stephen Curry should’ve had a few more and-1 calls but that doesn’t make up for the fact that Golden State had 29 fouls in this game.

After this game, Damian Jones is now averaging 4.3 fouls per game. We saw him get those two early fouls against the Utah Jazz on Friday night as well. He had 8 points tonight, which doubled his season average coming into the game.

Collectively, we just need to play smarter. There have been times where we fight through screens in the wrong way and it costs us. Denver shot 57% (24/42) from the free throw line tonight and won by only two. If they make 6-8 more this game doesn’t come down to the final possession.

2.  #ShaveTheBeard

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NBA Twitter went wild when Klay Thompson came out with a beard this offseason. The thing is, the luxurious facial hair hasn’t helped him. He is 2/16 (13%) from deep in the first three games of the season. This is a big factor in the loss tonight and how close the Jazz game was.

The offense is dangerous when he’s hitting shots. It allows the ball to move freely and to spread the defense out.

Now I’m not saying that the beard is directly related to his slump but, the facts speak for themselves.

3. Jerebko is going to be a vital part of the second unit

After hitting a game-winner against his former team in Utah, Jonas Jerebko was put on the floor late in the game again. He got his shots, even though the one three he shot was off, it was a good look. He looks confident on the floor.

He was also able to gain the trust of his teammates and coaches after the Jazz game. Jonas can possibly fill the same role as David West did the previous two seasons. Facilitate the ball and knock down jumpers, only Jerebko can hit the three better. The thing they don’t have in common is the tough guy mentality.

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It will be fun to see how Steve Kerr fits him into the offense more as players recover from injuries.

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