Though they mounted a furious and improbable comeback in the game’s closing minutes, the Warriors lost another very winnable road game on Sunday evening, falling 112-110 to the Denver Nuggets at the Ball Arena.
With Nikola Jokic absent, the Warriors coasted to an early double-digit lead, only to lose focus and then lose their hold on the game by the second half. That plus a tough shooting night was enough to halt Golden State’s road winning streak at two.
A win would have put Golden State in the driver’s seat for the fifth seed in the West. Instead, they fall into a tie with the Clippers and into the sixth spot — the final non-play-in seed — by tiebreaker with three games remaining.
Here are three takeaways from the loss:
Murray better than Curry
The Nuggets might have been without their MVP on Sunday, but Jamal Murray looked like one during a stretch midway through the fourth quarter.
After nailing a 3-pointer to give the Nuggets a six-point lead, Murray made an incredible defensive play on the other end, blocking Draymond Green’s layup at the rim and forcing a jump ball. The play, and Murray’s subsequent celebration, had the Denver crowd on their feet.
The Nuggets gained possession after the jump ball, and Murray followed up his incredible defensive play with another 3, increasing the lead to nine. On the other end, Murray forced Klay Thompson into an offensive foul with more good defense.
It was a stretch that defined Murray’s evening, where he was clearly the best player on the floor and much more so than his fellow point guard on the other end. Murray finished with 26 points (10-for-21), 8 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks, while Curry went 8-for-28 and 2-for-14 from 3, scoring 21 points with 3 turnovers. The Nuggets often put larger defenders on Curry which seemed to bother his outside shooting.
The dichotomy of their evenings was also on full display in the final minute, when the Warriors found themselves with a chance to win after Denver’s late self-destruction. Curry nearly air-balled a wide open 3 with 25.1 seconds remaining, only for the ball to find Klay Thompson’s hands for an insane behind the backboard shot.
Seconds later, Klay had the ball again for a 3 to win it only for Murray to fly in for the fingertip block.
Like their leader, the Warriors as a whole shot inefficiently. Thompson scored 25 points but did so while going 9-for-28 from the field. Michael Porter Jr., the Klay to Murray’s Curry on Sunday, outplayed him, scoring 29 points on 10-for-17 shooting.
Size matters
When your tallest player is the 6-foot-9 Kevon Looney, it’s rare you have a size advantage. Due to Jokic’s pregame scratch, however, it was the Warriors who elected to go big to start the game vs. the center-less Nuggets.
At the outset, it worked perfectly. Denver was over-aggressive guarding the 3-point line, allowing for easy cuts to the rim for the Warriors in the half court. They also owned the Nuggets on the glass early, with both Looney and Draymond Green cleaning things up.
As the game went on, however, it was the Nuggets’ size — their defensive length on the perimeter, that would start the give the Warriors problems. After turning the ball over just once in the first frame, Golden State turned it over three times in the final three minutes of the half, helping Denver turn the Warriors’ 15-point lead into a three pointer heading into the break.
The turnovers were a problem all night, with GS’s 15 giveaways enough to render their 35-30 advantage on the boards moot.
Denver’s length also bothered the Warriors’ shooting. They finished 40 percent from the field and 21 percent from deep.
On the other end it wasn’t much better. Porter Jr. isn’t super dynamic with the ball in his hands, which is probably why Steve Kerr elected to have Curry guard him to start the game. Porter Jr. took advantage of that matchup with regularity, at 6-foot-10 rising over the much shorter Curry to knock down jumpers. Porter’s early rhythm couldn’t be quelled, and he hurt the Warriors consistently.
Season will not end April 9
Some good news. The Warriors have clinched a postseason berth.
We don’t yet know if it will be in the playoffs or in the play-in, but Sunday’s results ensured there will be at least a game to be played after the regular season ends on April 9.
Dallas’ loss to Atlanta proved to be the tipping point. The free-falling Mavericks lost their third straight game, knocking them out of the Western Conference’s top 10, and out of the playoff picture for now. Based on their records and games remaining, it is now impossible for Dallas to finish with a better record than Golden State.
With three games left, the play-in is still very much on the table for the Warriors. Now the sixth seed, Golden State is two games and a half behind the Suns who won on Sunday. They’re tied with the Clippers, and a half game up on the Pelicans and Lakers.
Here’s how it looks following the conclusion of Sunday’s NBA action:
The final three games look to be a mixed bag. First there’s a home tilt vs. the Thunder who are fighting for their playoff lives on Tuesday. On Friday, the Warriors play the Kings in Sacramento. The Kings currently can’t fall beyond the No. 3 seed, so it’s unclear if a lack of motivation will be a factor. It will be a factor in the season finale on Sunday, when the Warriors face off vs. the tanking Trail Blazers.