The Golden State Warriors came into Sunday night's game riding their longest winning streak since Jimmy Butler went down on Jan. 19, but were quickly brought back to earth. After defeating three bottom-feeders in the Dallas Mavericks, Brooklyn Nets and Washington Wizards, the Warriors hit a wall against the Nuggets despite getting off to a strong start.
A combination of poor defense, a lack of focus, and the fact that they faced one of the world's best in Nikola Jokic led to the Warriors completely collapsing in the second half after limiting the league's best offense to just 46 first-half points.
Despite good outings from Brandin Podziemski, Kristaps Porzingis, Draymond Green and Gary Payton II, Golden State is back against the wall after falling 116-93 to the Denver Nuggets.
Warriors unravel again after halftime
A team that used to thrive and blow games wide open in third quarters has seen that edge completely vanish. Since Jan. 26, the Warriors have been one of the worst third-quarter teams in the entire NBA.
Over that span, which adds up to 29 third quarters, Golden State ranks 29th in points (26.1), 29th in field goal percentage (43.5), 30th in three-point percentage (28.1), 28th in turnovers (4.4), 30th in plus/minus (-4.9), and 30th in net rating (-19.9). Out of those 29 quarters, the Warriors have come out on top just six times.
On Sunday night, after building a seven-point lead heading into halftime while holding the best offense in the NBA to just 46 points, the Warriors got outscored 40-21 after the break, essentially putting the game on ice.
Usually reliable bench falls flat
The Warriors' second unit entered Sunday's game with the third-most bench points in the league, averaging over 44 points per night. Against Denver, only one player came through: Gary Payton II.
Payton accounted for 16 of Golden State's 25 bench points (and snatched a headband). Three of the five reserves (not including Post) — Seth Curry, Nate Williams, and LJ Cryer — put up doughnuts. Pat Spencer did provide a spark off the bench, dishing out eight assists to go along with seven points, five rebounds and two steals.
Payton II continued to be clinical from the field, making seven of his eight shot attempts and extending his streak of double-figure games to 11. The Young Glove is shooting 69% from the field during that streak.
Podziemski and Porzingis continue to impress, Melton sparks uncertainty
Brandin Podziemski piled up his fourth straight 20-point game against the Nuggets, marking the longest such streak of his young career. He finished with 23 points, five rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block.
Kristaps Porzingis hit the most threes by a Warriors center without a miss, going 5-for-5 from deep on his way to 23 points. Over his last four games, KP has averaged 22.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 3.0 assists. The fit within the Warriors system has been seamless, and despite not having played next to Stephen Curry yet, it’s not a bold take to say that pairing can only be a success. According to sources, Porzingis is already considering re-signing with the Warriors next season.
With that being said, De'Anthony Melton becomes the Warriors' biggest question mark heading into the offseason. While he's been a solid two-way guard in his time with Golden State, his recent production has raised some eyebrows.
In March, Melton had four 20-point games but also went scoreless in two games, including against Denver on Sunday where he shot 0-for-5 from the field. His field goal percentage (39%) and three-point percentage (25%) also dipped.
While he’s shown time and again that he can be an ideal sidekick next to Curry, the money is the determining factor. Melton has a player option at the end of the season, which he'll in all likelihood decline, making him an unrestricted free agent. With Porzingis then likely to re-sign, the Warriors won't have enough cap space to re-sign both and will have to make a decision.
With that loss, the Warriors' hopes of climbing to the eighth seed got even slimmer — if not dashed altogether. Golden State will very likely finish 10th or 9th if it can make a push and overtake the Portland Trail Blazers.
However, the schedule plays in Portland's favor. Four of the Warriors' final seven opponents — the Spurs, Cavaliers, Rockets, and Lakers — can all be labeled "pretenders," while the Blazers, comfortably sitting on a 1.5-game cushion, arguably have only two such teams left on their schedule: the Nuggets and Spurs.