It was one of those nights you wish you could have back. The Golden State Warriors allowed themselves to be pummeled into a 24-point defect by the Denver Nuggets and fell just short of a comeback victory.
Thursday marks an opportunity for revenge.
The Golden State Warriors will not have to wait long for a chance at revenge, they play the Denver Nuggets again on Thursday.
The Warriors did not look like themselves in the first half against Denver. Perhaps the absence of Draymond Green is the biggest reason for this as they looked lost offensively without their lead playmaker.
Without Green, the offense looked awkward. Multiple first half turnovers led to a double-digit hole that the team would have to rally themselves out of.
And, rally they did.
Golden State’s league-leading defense made an impact, holding Denver to only 29 points in the second half. Stephen Curry got rolling while rookie Jonathan Kuminga ignited the team with a few drives to the basket.
A Gary Payton II run out and slam dunk brought the Warriors to the brink of winning before an offensive rebound and put back from Will Barton buried the Dubs for good.
Last year’s MVP, Nikola Jokic, finished with 22 points, 18 rebounds and a game-saving block to build his case as a repeat winner.
As for Curry, his 23 points and second-half flurry was not enough. He was plagued by Denver’s blitz approach to defending him and struggled to get free without Green or Jordan Poole alongside him to help generate offense.
This loss kept the Warriors from building a lead on the Phoenix Suns, who stand just 0.5 games behind the Dubs for the Western Conference’s top seed. Another chance to beat Denver will be crucial in determining if the Warriors will finish the year as the NBA’s best team or not.
Golden State knows they can play better than they did on Tuesday. Even with Green sidelined, this team is capable of more and they should plan on showing it tomorrow.