Despite the absences of Jamal Murray on the Nuggets side, and those of Draymond Green and Gary Payton II, this duel between the last two champions kept all its promises. In the end, it was 35 points and 13 rebounds from Nikola Jokic which allowed Denver to narrowly escape against the Warriors who fought throughout the match but lacked juice in money time.
From the first minutes of the match, the size and ferocity of Denver, particularly the Jokic – Porter Jr. – Gordon trio, stifled the Warriors on both ends of the court. Stephen Curry is scored in the pants by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and the Nuggets easily take a twelve point lead (25-13).
An effective Warriors bench
It takes the entry of Chris Paul alongside the bottle class of Golden State to see the Dubs finally enter their match. They raise their voice in defense, find rhythm on the other side, and pick up the score (36-36). Despite the surge from Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, two winning shots from Nikola Jokic and Aaron Gordon allowed Denver to take the lead at the break (53-47).
If Nikola Jokic takes matters into his own hands, he is on the other hand too lonely. His teammates only score 4 of their 15 shots but 14 points from the Serb against Kevon Looney and rookie Trayce Jackson-Davis keep Denver in the lead (63-55). The Warriors respond every time, though. Curry’s skill and their defensive activity brought them back to equality, before their second five thanks to Chris Paul, Moses Moody, and Jackson-Davis put them in front by a short header before the last quarter (78-76) .
Stephen Curry has the equalizer
Michael Porter Jr and Reggie Jackson then find their address and Denver goes on the attack again (92-87). Despite an illegal counter forgotten by the referees on a lay-up by Stephen Curry, the Warriors responded again with two alley-oops from Kevon Looney for Wiggins and Kuminga (97-97).
Denver then relies on Jokic in the low post, while Golden State continues short shots (103-98). The match seems over but Steve Kerr’s men manage to give themselves one last chance thanks to a 3-pointer from Curry and two missed shots from Nikola Jokic (107-105). Rather than play for the win, Curry attacks the circle and misses an open left-handed layup. Denver can take a breather and take the break at the top of the Western Conference.
TO REMEMBER
– Heavy legs and big hearts for the Warriors. For their eighth game in an eighth different city, including seven away games, the Warriors lacked energy at the start of the match and in the final minutes but managed to stay in the match and thrill the Ball Arena thanks to to a bench that continues to perform well. Without Draymond Green and Gary Payton Jr, Kuminga, Moody, Jackson-Davis, Podziemski, and Chris Paul all responded and helped revive the starters. The Warriors narrowly failed but they can be proud of their match. A good omen before playing six games in a row at Chase Center against the Cavs, the Wolves twice, the Thunder twice, and the Rockets.
– Denver bench gets through. Two days after giving the Nuggets victory in New Orleans, Mike Malone’s bench was this time absent. They only scored 12 points, compared to 42 for Golden State, just 4/11 on shots. Not surprising given how young Denver is. Nuggets fans will surely be treated to Russian montages of the development of their young players throughout the season.
TOPS/FLOPS
✅ Nikola Jokic. Even when hit in the right hand, the double MVP was central to his team’s victory. With 35 points, 13 rebounds, and 5 assists, he kept his team at arm’s length in the third quarter before making the difference at the end of the match. He was also attacked relentlessly by the Warriors’ offensive movement.
✅ Reggie Jackson. His 20 points and 6 assists were essential as the bench got through it. Enough to give him confidence to compensate for the absence of Jamal Murray.
✅⛔ Stephen Curry. The other double MVP was clumsy (23 points on 6/17 on shots and 6/13 on three points) but allowed the Warriors to hope until the last minute.
⛔ Dario Saric. Starting in place of Draymond Green, the Croatian (4 points, 0/3 from 3-point range, 8 rebounds) did not weigh on the match during his 26 minutes of play.
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How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
