Still without Nikola Jokic, calf injury for the third game in a row, the Nuggets nevertheless managed to get rid of the Warriors to achieve a regular season sweep, a fourth straight victory in their direct confrontations with the defending champions (112-110).
However, it started strong for the Warriors, who started off on a high with a 14-6 on the shoulders of Klay Thompson. Golden State will race in the lead throughout the first half and this, until the last quarter, but the chronic clumsiness of the “Splash Bros” will eventually weigh down the Warriors definitively.
If Thompson managed to limit the damage with 25 points at 9/28 on shots, Stephen Curry had an even more complicated evening with only 21 points at 8/28 on shots, including a very small and very unusual 2/14 at 3 points…
This narrow but so precious success at home brings the Nuggets closer to the advantage of the field for the entire playoffs. With another victory in its last four meetings, or a single defeat for Memphis in the same time, Denver will pocket the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, which would simply be a first in the history of the franchise. Colorado.
For the Warriors, the hour is serious with a fifth place shared with the Clippers… with the Lakers just behind who have a good dynamic having won three games in a row!
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
— An ultra disjointed match. Quickly in the lead in the first half, leading up to fifteen points, the Warriors had already been caught up at the break. But Golden State managed to stay the course, and a thin nest egg until the last quarter. At +3 at the start of the fourth quarter, the Warriors even regained some air to lead by 7 lengths after an initial 8-3. But that was before the fatal boost for the locals, who went from 99-96 to 109-98, a scathing 10-2 concluded by a thunderous dunk from Peyton Watson. But it wasn’t over… In the last five minutes, the Bay Area champions came back from the devil to come back to -2 on an improbable shot from Klay Thompson from 3-pointers in the corner! The latter will have two match points, 3-pointers in the axis of the circle, the first a bit too long and the second countered by Jamal Murray!
— Jamal Murray as boss. Between Warriors and Nuggets, we were more likely to expect a duel at a distance between certified scorers between Stephen Curry and Jamal Murray, with Klay Thompson as referee… But no, in the last quarter, it was Donte DiVicenzo (9 points) who held off the Canadian Rockies archer (10 points). In dire need of skill, the Curry – Thompson duo was simply disillusioned and couldn’t force the decision, like Murray’s final counter against Thompson at the end of regulation time.
TOPS/FLOPS
✅ Jamal Murray. In Jokic’s absence, Jamal Murray has taken charge for the Nuggets. With 26 points and 8 assists, plus 2 blocks and 2 interceptions, Murray was the leader until the end, scoring 10 points in the last quarter including several important shots. And the final counter to ensure victory!
✅ Michael Porter Jr.. Author of a double-double with 29 points, 11 rebounds, Porter Jr. simply finished with the best evaluation of the match, with a good shooting percentage (10/17). Present from far and near, MPJ perfectly knew how to raise his level of play to fuel his team’s attack.
✅ Donte DiVicenzo. Equally capable of smashing through a match like a ghost, DiVicenzo was having a good night in Denver. The back passed by Villanova completed his third double-double of the season, the most convincing with 18 points and 13 rebounds, including a big blow of pressure in the last quarter to try a comeback unfortunately too short…
✅ ⛔ The “Splash Bros”. With their 17/56 on cumulative shots, including a 7/30 from 3-pointers that does not look like them, the Warriors filoches brothers had a bad evening in Denver. Stephen Curry in particular drank the chalice to the dregs with a painful last quarter (3 points at 1/8)…
THE FOLLOWING
Denver (52-26) : trip to Houston on Tuesday.
Golden State (41-38) : reception of the Thunder on Tuesday.
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How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Shots made / Shots attempted; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D= defensive rebound; T = Total Bounces; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost bullets; Ct: Counters; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Points = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
