JOKIC AND NUGGETS OUTRUN WARRIORS
Golden State had been 5-0 this season when Curry scored 30 points or more
Stephen Curry can only do so much. Before Thursday night, the Warriors had been 5-0 when Curry scored 30 points or more. But that record received its first blemish after the Warriors lost to the Nuggets, 114-104, at Ball Arena in Denver.
Curry led the Warriors (6-6) with 35 points on 14-for-23 shooting (5-for-11 from 3-point range) but few of those points were easy. It took dazzling dribble moves, miraculous fall-away 3-pointers and a non-stop motor to shake loose of Denver’s constant double-team.
Despite Curry’s effort, he did not get much help from a supporting cast that shot just 41.3% overall and a defense that gave up 54 points in the paint.
It was an exhausting night for the Warriors, who cut into Denver’s double-digit leads several times only to witness center Nikola Jokic and guard Jamal
Murray make plays and pull away. After digging out of a 17-point hole in the second quarter, Golden State was within nine with 2:13 remaining, but a layup from Jokic put the Nuggets back (6-6) comfortably ahead.
Here are some takeaways from the game. CURRY BOUNCED BACK, BUT HE NEEDS HELP » After shooting a combined 9-for33 in the last two games, Curry found more space against the Nuggets’ defense, which didn’t deploy the box-and-1 as the Pacers and Raptors did. Instead, Denver aggressively sent help and blitzed Curry as he passed half-court and came off screens. As a result, he saw several double-teams throughout the night.
That should create opportunities for his teammates, but no one stepped up. Andrew Wiggins (16 points on 7-of-16 shooting), Kelly Oubre Jr. (14 points on 3-for-10 shooting) and
Eric Paschall (eight points on 2-for-9 shooting) are the players who that responsibility would fall to.
“I got going just creating my own shot,” Curry said. “Can we get to that next level, where I’m off the ball moving it and we have good flow? Things got a little stagnant pretty quick.” TOO MANY TURNOVERS » The Warriors committed 19 turnovers Thursday, several of which were unforced — silly passes and
offensive fouls. Curry had seven of them. He may have felt pressured to make things happen in the face of the defense’s attention. But they also came when trying to find James Wiseman on rolls that could have punctured Denver’s defense.
Golden State’s ball-handlers have a tendency to force-feed Wiseman, and the timing on these pick-androlls and post-ups just isn’t quite where it needs to be.
“I don’t think our guys are comfortable yet throwing lobs to him,” head coach Steve Kerr said. “And so as a result, last game and tonight, we’ve tried to bounce passes to him in the lane, we’ve tried to thread the needle. And some of that is just the connection that has to be made.”
DEFENSE TAKES A DIVE » The Warriors had strung together impressive defensive performances, holding their last five opponents below 110 points and rising in the league’s defensive rankings.
But the Nuggets — who crash the boards (10 offensive rebounds) and dominate the paint (54 points) — are a tough cover. The offensive glass remains a concern for the Warriors, who entered the night giving up an average of 11.2 offensive rebounds per game. Finishing more defensive possessions will prevent opponents from getting into a set defense and help their offense.
“We have to be a defensive-minded team,” Kerr said. “We have to be engaged and competitive, and we weren’t tonight.”