Golden State Warriors buying Stephen Curry time with dominant win

The Golden State Warriors beat the Denver Nuggets by 16. Stephen Curry played, and while he didn’t start, he still had an impact on the game. However, it was clear that Curry wasn’t quite 100% yet.

Thankfully, he received just 22 minutes, and the Dubs were still able to pull off a big-time victory in Game 1. Curry was aggressive and did just about everything the Warriors needed him to do. That list included passing, shooting, slashing and just overall making excellent decisions.

The Golden State Warriors won Game 1 of their first-round series with the Denver Nuggets 123-107. Stephen Curry scored just 16 points.

Curry scored 16 points and added in 4 assists and 3 rebounds. He was +17 in those mere 22 minutes. The two-time MVP also wasn’t forcing much, shooting just 6 threes and connecting on half of them. He was just 5-for-13 from the field.

Many were skeptical that Curry was even going to make his return in Game 1. In the middle of March, during a home game against the Boston Celtics, the Warriors star sprained his foot following a dangerous play by guard Marcus Smart.

No one necessarily blamed Smart, who plays as hard as any players in the league, but it still heavily impacted the Warriors’ home stretch.

Even with Curry, it was unlikely the Warriors would’ve managed the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference as Memphis ended up expanding its lead to 3 games despite the Warriors’ 5-game winning streak to end the season.

Nonetheless, this was Curry’s first action in a month, and given he was still probable on the team’s injury report, the star likely wasn’t at full strength. The best part is that the Dubs didn’t need Curry to dominate in order to win.

Jordan Poole put up a game-high 30 on 9-for-13 from the field. Draymond Green added 9 assists. Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins combined for 35 as well.

There are players that can step up, and while Curry’s play may ultimately determine how far the Warriors go in the playoffs, it may not be the deciding factor in the first round which will, at the very least, give him another week to hopefully rest.

While games may not continue to favor the Dubs as Game 1 did, every day of rest counts, and giving Curry just 22 minutes and getting a 16-point win counts as rest for the 34-year-old averaging 34.5 minutes per game this season.