The Golden State Warriors are making progress, that’s undeniable. They have won 8 of their last 10 games to give themselves a chance to move up to sixth or fifth place occupied by the Pelicans and the Suns with a record of 34 wins for 24 losses, only three losses less than them. 5th and 6th places allow access to the playoffs without going through the “play-in”.
Their two defeats during this season, however, tell us just as much about the road they still have to go to be considered a legitimate outsider in the Western Conference. The Warriors actually lost against the Clippers and the Nuggets at home, two Top 4 teams in their conference, after being 15 and 16 points ahead. If the scenarios of these two setbacks were different, the Warriors made mistakes due to a lack of rigor.
Against the Clippers, they made a series of defensive blunders, letting Norman Powell catch fire. This night, the Nuggets raised their level of play on both ends of the court, pushing the Warriors into mistakes and capitalizing on these errors to get back into the game at the end of the first half. They then took control of the match after leaving the locker room, and killed the match in the last quarter.
The ability to stop the movement of the Warriors
The Nuggets reminded the Warriors of the level needed to be champion or title contender. This is a level that Golden State executives know well but that has eluded them since the start of last season.
“They are the champions, they are excellent,” recalled Steve Kerr after the match. “We had a good rhythm at the start of the match and then we had two or three offensive possessions where we were not organized. The attack became static, and the pace of the match dropped. Murray made difficult shots, Gordon was sent to free throws twice. It allowed them to set up their defense and force us to play half court. It was the turning point of the match, just like the first five minutes of the third quarter. After that, Denver controlled the rest of the game. »
If the awakening of Stephen Curry in the third quarter brought the Warriors back to equality, the rigor remained on the side of the Nuggets. They never let Golden State get back in front. Every lost ball from the Dubs was exploited by Mike Malone's men!
The final quarter was the ultimate example of this. Denver was uncompromising on defense. While the Warriors looked to target Jokic or Murray, the Nuggets had an answer for everything. With a tired Curry, it was Draymond Green who tried to make the difference and he threw himself into the den of the wolf. Nikola Jokic was one step ahead of every action, intercepting a pass from Green on a known Golden State play or forcing him to attempt a difficult pass in the paint.
Seven losses in a row against the Nuggets
“When we play Golden State, we do things differently because they present a unique challenge. This is not our basic defensive strategy. 16 points, 29% shooting in the last quarter, that's when you need your defense at its best, and that was the case tonight for us,” congratulated Mike Malone.
On the other side, the Serbian was also dominant with 32 points, 16 assists, and 16 rebounds, dissecting the Warriors defense with ease. Draymond Green was not unworthy, however, limiting the double MVP below his success percentage for the season (54% against 58%), but each superfluous help from the other Warriors was punished with a bright pass.
“32, 16, 16, with 4 steals and 5 deflections, Nikola proved once again that he is the best NBA player,” Malone savored. “But we must not forget the contributions of Jamal Murray, Zeke Nnaji, Christian Braun coming off the bench, Aaron Gordon, 17 points, Pope's defense on Stephen Curry. It was a team effort. »
Jokic and Murray dominated Golden State's stars. This is what Curry, Green, and Thompson were used to doing for years, but things are changing.
“They made us pay for our mistakes on five or six possessions in a row (at the end of the first half and in the last quarter). Hats off to them. It's been three games against them that it's been like this. It’s a big team that doesn’t panic and knows how to take the rhythm and control the match,” summed up Stephen Curry.
Since their elimination in the first round of the 2022 playoffs against the Warriors, the Nuggets have now won seven games in a row against Steve Kerr's men. The Warriors wanted to benchmark themselves against the reigning champions, and the latter put them in their place. Yes, they are making progress but they are not yet at the level of the top 4 in the West.
Comments collected in San Francisco.
