Golden State Warriors were riding high on their recent victory over their closest rival Phoenix Suns, but Nikola Jokic had a massive game as the Nuggets beat the Warriors in close game.
Golden State Warriors have the best record in the NBA this season and were on a 3-game winning run before entering into the game. Denver Nuggets were also back from their close win over Los Angeles Clippers and looking confident as they were on their way to Chase Center.
With the addition of Andrew Wiggins, the Warriors were expected to dominate the game, especially with their impressive 16-3 home record. The only notable absentee for the Warriors was Draymond Green, who is the latest addition to the list of players sidelined due to Covid-19 safety protocol.
The Nuggets were without starting Guard Monte Morris (due to his knee issue) and Aaron Gordon. Also, they have lost more games on road. The stage was perfect for the Warriors to grab another victory against their conference rivals and cement their top position.
Nuggets vs Warriors or Nikola Jokic vs Stephen Curry?
Both Nikola Jokic and Stephen Curry are having an exceptional season. Both players are in a race for KIA MVP Award this season, where Stephen Curry had just taken lead over his competitors with some heroic performances. This match was the first direct face-off between the two players this season.
Reigning MVP Jokic was playing with great determination and was detecting plays for the Nuggets. Stephen Curry and Golden State Warriors started slow and were behind 10-0 in the opening 3 minutes of the game. And Curry was struggling in the 1st quarter with 4 turnovers and 0 points.
Stephen Curry’s struggle continued in the 2nd quarter as he managed to control turnovers down to none but scored only 2 points with a 25% field goal. The Denver team had given very little space to Curry to operate. While at the offensive end also Denver flourished, thanks to some crafty play-making and scoring from Jokic.
Jokic’s 14 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists gave 60-36 lead to the Nuggets at halftime. The Warriors were uncharacteristically struggling at both ends of the floor for the first time this season only had Andrew Wiggins in double figures (13 Points).
Second half comeback by the Warriors
Golden State Warriors are known for their 3rd quarter plays and they just performed exactly like Championship contender team. Though the quarter was not very high scoring, the Nuggets were restricted to 14 points in the 3rd quarter, and Curry Co. managed 25 points to cut the lead short.
Curry’s last seconds 3 pointer (3000th Career 3-pointer) was the high point for the Warriors. The final score at the end of the 3rd quarter was 74-61 in favor of the Denver Nuggets, which meant still the Warriors had lots of work in hand for the final 12 minutes.
Understanding the situation, Steph stepped up his game and played the full 12 minutes of the last quarter scoring 15 points in the process. Interestingly he single-handedly equaled the total Nuggets score of the 4th quarter.
The Warriors were playing hard and pushing for the win. With 1:04 left on the clock, the Warriors managed to tie the score 84-84 with Payton’s dunk-off Curry pass. It was the only time when both teams were level in the game, which the Nuggets were dominating from the start.
Will Barton made huge plays in the final minute of the game with the game-changing 4 points and 2 offensive rebounds. Nuggets took lead again 88-84. Warriors were missing Draymond’s presence in hustle plays. Nikola Jokic who already had a great game made a huge block on Kuminga’s layup with 3 seconds on the clock and an 86-88 score in the Nuggets favor. The final score was 89-86 as Denver close out the game with a free throw from Campazzo.
Coaches Reactions
Nuggets Coach Malone was in all praises for the team. He said ”I couldn’t be more proud of our guys, I thought Will Barton, down the stretch, made a couple of big, big plays. Nikola having 18 rebounds, 22 points, and making a key, key play down the stretch is why he’s a great player”
Warriors coach Steve Kerr said, “They were the aggressor from the start, I loved the way we fought back in the second half and gave ourselves a chance. … Really proud of the guys for the effort, but obviously we’ve got to play better.”
Will Barton scored 21 points, while Nikola Jokic had a game-winning performance for Denver with 22 points, 18 rebounds, five assists, and four steals. Andrew Wiggins shines for the Warriors scoring 21 points, while Curry who had rough night scoring (37.5% FG) still manages game-high 23 points.
Both teams will meet again on 29th December 2021 in Denver.
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