NBA: Playoffs-Golden State Warriors at Denver Nuggets

The Golden State Warriors have been perfect after the first three games of the pre-season. However, tonight they played the first game of a back-to-back and Steve Kerr wanted to give some of his veterans some time off. Andrew Bogut and David Lee received the night off, while the “Splash Brothers” only saw the floor in the first half. It was a high scoring affair in the first half and the Nuggets led for most of the game. The Warriors made it a game in the fourth quarter.

 

1st Quarter:

Kenneth Faried got things started for the Denver Nuggets, giving them an early 4-0 lead after a couple of jump shots. Harrison Barnes wanted to get his team on the board, but missed a three point shot. Ognjen Kuzmic took advantage of being inserted in the starting line-up and scored two quick buckets of his own. The game was close in the first few minutes and hometown hero Harrison Barnes finally got on the board with a three pointer with about eight minutes left in the first quarter. Nuggets’ big man Timothy Mozgov also came out strong. He had eight points midway through the first, but within a span of a minute, Curry hit two 3-pt shots and gave the Warriors a two point lead. The Nuggets responded with five straight points, but Marreese Speights channeled his inner Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and hit two consecutive hook shots. Nuggets went on a 6-0 run to end the quarter, but Nemanja Nedovic was able to convert one free throw and cut the lead to five. After one quarter, the Nuggets led 34-29. Mozgov leads all scorers with 12 points and Faried finished with 11. Curry led the Warriors with eight.

2nd Quarter:

Both teams started off cold in the second. Andre Iguodala missed two free throws and it looked a little sloppy to start the quarter. Nedovic cut the lead to three with a layup, but both teams were trading baskets and the Warriors could not get closer than five in the first several minutes. With the reserves on the floor, Nedovic saw an opportunity to impact the game, but was unable to convert. The Nuggets then went on an 8-0 run thanks to Gary Harris Jr, who took over in the second and gave his team a little cushion. With Kerr’s team facing a 13 point deficit, Curry and Thompson went back into the game. Curry quickly hit a three pointer and cut the lead to 10. With a little over five minutes left in the game, Kerr went with his core group of players in hopes of cutting the lead to single digits. The teams traded baskets down the stretch, but the “Splash Brothers” picked it up in the last couple of minutes and made it rain in Iowa. In about 50 seconds, Thompson scored 8 quick points. He had quietly scored 18 points, dished out five assists, and grabbed four boards. After two quarters, the Warriors found themselves down 62-53. Faried, Mozgov, and Wilson Chandler combined for 39 points. The Warriors shot 48 percent from the field, but shot 67 percent from the free throw line. After two quarters the Warriors had 12 assists and 15 turnovers. 

3rd Quarter:

The Nuggets brought back their starting five and Kerr went with his second unit. Draymond Green started the half with a layup, cutting the lead to seven. The Nuggets had plenty of opportunities, but could not hit a shot. Arron Afflalo decided to join the party and hit some quick buckets. He had hit a shot at the end of the first half and that’s all he needed to get going. Afflalo’s seven points in the first five minutes helped the Nuggets extend their lead to 10. Midway through the third quarter the Nuggets went on a little run and grew their lead to 13 against the Warriors’ second unit. Barbosa added his name to the stat sheet by knocking down a pull up jumper. Both teams struggled to score and the Nuggets’ lead didn’t need move as time was winding down. After a Kerr technical and a couple of free throws by Erick Green, the Nuggets led by 16. A D. Green jump shot cut the lead to 13. With three quarters in the book, the Nuggets led 82-75. Mozgov and Chandler led the Nuggets with 18 points. 

4th Quarter:

It took both teams a minute and half to finally get a bucket. Jusuf Nurkic got his first points of the game with a running lay-up and a hook shot. James Michael McAdoo responded with a quick lay-up, but both teams struggled to get points. Nedovic and McAdoo got the Warriors back in the game with a good stretch at the eight minute mark and cut the lead to 10. It seems the Nuggets always had a response and never allowed the Warriors to get closer than eight to ten points. The 2014 Summer League team made their presence felt with about six minutes left in the game. Justin Holiday and McAdoo were instrumental in that run and the Warriors suddenly had a shot to win the game. Andre Iguodala picked a good time to score his first bucket at about the five minute mark, cutting the lead to five. McAdoo decided to show his athletic ability and had two thunderous dunks and got the Warriors within one. Jason Kapono scored his first shot of the game with a minute and a half left and it was a three pointer; Warriors were now up one. McAdoo with an amazing put back slam with 41 seconds left, which extended the lead to three. With four seconds left to go, it was only fitting that the hometown hero, Harrison Barnes hit a three point shot to seal the game. McAdoo with an impressive 20 points and seven rebounds. Warriors win 104-101.