Denver gets drowned and quartered in the 3rd
The third quarter had been dynamite for the Nuggets over the past week. It pushed Denver to blowout wins over the Brooklyn Nets and Toronto Raptors, and ignited rallies against the New York Knicks and Miami Heat.
But that’s the period when the Nuggets fell apart Saturday night against the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors to flip an entertaining affair into a snoozer. The Warriors outscored Denver by 22 points in the third quarter, allowing them to cruise to a 127-108 victory at the Pepsi Center.
Golden State ripped off a 16-2 run in the first four minutes after halftime. Draymond Green pumped his fist after a 3-pointer from the left wing. Zaza Pachuila finished in transition off a Jamal Murray turnover. Kevin Durant sank one of his four 3-pointers, boosting the Warriors’ advantage to 19 points.
Nuggets coach Michael Malone quickly turned to his second unit after Golden State’s initial scoring avalanche. But the Warriors kept pouring it on, with their lead ballooning to 29 points on two Durant free throws in the quarter’s final minute.
“We did not have a lot of energy (in the third quarter), and when things went south, we didn’t fight, we didn’t compete, and that was really disappointing,” Malone said. “They came out in that third quarter and looked like a very fresh team, and we looked like a very tired team. Obviously this was our sixth game in nine nights. It’s part of the NBA. We can’t use that as an excuse, but that definitely played into it.”
The loss dropped Denver to 5-5 through the season’s first 10 games. The Nuggets are 0-2 on the second night of a back-to-back set, quickly erasing the euphoria of Friday’s dramatic 95-94 victory over the Heat.
Golden State’s third-quarter onslaught came after a wild second quarter in which the Nuggets erased a 13-point deficit. Kenneth Faried’s seven points — including two high-flying alley-oop dunks — spearheaded a 24-5 run by Denver’s second unit that sent the Pepsi Center crowd into constant eruptions. Denver led by as many as six points before the break, but the Warriors closed on a 19-8 run.
“I think we got some things done (in the second quarter),” said Will Barton, who led the Nuggets with 21 points, eight rebounds and five assists off the bench. “We were flying around and making it tough for them on defense. We got out and ran and did some good things. We’ve just got to keep that energy.”
That mini-spurt teased what would come from Golden State in the third quarter.
“They never cave in. When we went on that run in the second quarter, they just kept playing and kept trying to make plays and stuck to their game plan and weathered the storm,” Barton said. “If we’re trying to be a good team, we’ve got to be able to do the same thing.”
Five Warriors scored in double figures, led by Durant’s 25 points. Stephen Curry finished with 22 points and 11 assists. Green had 15 points, seven rebounds and eight assists. The Warriors shot 45 percent (18-of-40) beyond the arc against a Denver defense that entered Saturday ranked 25th in the NBA in opponent’s 3-point field-goal percentage.
Emmanuel Mudiay finished with 15 points, seven assists and five rebounds for Denver, which had no starter play more than 20 minutes or reach double figures in scoring.
“The chances of us winning tonight were probably slim to none,” Malone said. “The fact that we gave ourselves a chance in that first half, I was proud of that.
“The third quarter was very disappointing. It kind of leaves a bad taste in your mouth.”