It’s clear that Warriors need more than just Curry scoring
Stephen Curry can only do so much.
The Warriors had been 5-0 when Curry scored 30 points or more. But that’s no longer the case after Golden State lost to the Nuggets 114-104 in Denver on Thursday.
Curry led the Warriors (6-6) with 35 points on 14-for-23 shooting (5for-11 from 3-point range) but few of those points were easy.
Here are five takeaways from the game:
CURRY BOUNCED BACK, BUT HE NEEDS HELP >> After shooting a combined 9-for-33 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-and-rolls 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,” said head coach Steve Kerr. “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.”
Kerr added that Wiseman could also do a better job of spacing off his ball-handlers — not getting so close to the rim that it cramps passing lanes.
“All of those things are going to come as he gains more experience and our guys get more comfortable playing with him.”
JOKIC SLICED THEM UP >> Nikola Jokic is leading the league in assists, averaging the most points per game of his career and having an MVP-caliber season. He’s the reason the Nuggets have the second-best offensive rating in the league, and he picked Golden State’s defense apart to the tune of 23 points on 8-of-16 shooting, 14 rebounds and 10 assists.
“Jokic is a tremendous player, and he and they are difficult to guard,” Kerr said. “But we can tell from the sidelines pretty quickly every game if we are engaged or not. And, for whatever reason, we were not engaged tonight. That was disappointing.” 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.”