Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, front, looks to pass the ball as Golden State Warriors forward Kevon Looney defends in the second half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
DENVER — The shorthanded Warriors hung with the Denver Nuggets for about 30 minutes of action Thursday night before losing steam to fall 134-117.
Playing without Klay Thompson and Draymond Green on what was the night after an ugly overtime loss in Minneapolis, Golden State trailed the Western Conference leaders by just one point at halftime and evened the score midway through the third. Ultimately, however, the Nuggets proved to be too much.
Jordan Poole tied the game at 85 with a layup with 5:19 left in the third, but the Nuggets would go on a 20-6 charge to close out the quarter. The Warriors didn’t do themselves any favors, committing eight of their 17 turnovers in the third, including six during that lethal Nuggets’ run.
The Warriors entered the final quarter in a 14-point hole and couldn’t come back.
Stephen Curry had 28 points, five rebounds and five assists and Poole added 22 points, five assists, three rebounds and a steal, but the 26-26 Warriors couldn’t overthrow the top team in the West.
“Our guys battled all night and that third quarter was just too much,” coach Steve Kerr said after the Warriors suffered their second consecutive lose to end the road trip 1-2. “We missed some shots. I thought their defense picked up and we turned it over a few times. They showed why they are the best team in the West right now. They’re playing at a high level. That third quarter felt like the difference.”
Nuggets Jamal Murray scored 17 of his game-high 33 points in the third. Meanwhile, two-time reigning league MVP Nikola Jokic was also able to have his way before ending the night with his 17th triple-double of the season, recording 22 points, 14 rebounds and 16 assists in 33 minutes.
“He’s one of the best players in the league,” said Kevon Looney, who was tasked with trying to slow Jokic down. “It’s not just scoring with him, he controls the game with his passing and rebounding and I think tonight we let him do a little bit of everything… he was able to show the game and do both and pick us a part a little bit.”
Green and Curry were listed as questionable in the hours before the game but coach Steve Kerr said he anticipated them both to be available for the game. Curry got the green light to start but Green was a late scratch after he experienced tightness in his right calf after warmups.
After the game, Kerr said the belief is Green’s calf injury is “something minor” but he’ll get it checked out back in the Bay. Green left a game in January 2022 with a calf injury, which later developed into a back injury that sidelined him for 31 games.
With Green and Thompson out and the Warriors running on fumes, Kerr expanded his rotation to 10, paving the way for James Wiseman and Moses Moody to break out of bench purgatory. Both had up-and-down showings. Wiseman, making his first appearance in a game since Dec. 28, finished with nine points and two rebounds in 17 minutes, and Moody tallied two rebounds and an assist in 16 minutes.
Kerr praised the bench’s overall effort.
“Everybody contributed well,” he said. Wiseman “came in and looked good. I thought JaMychal [Green] had a really good first half. It’s good to see him out there after missing the last couple of games. Donte [DiVincenzo] continues to play at a high level. I like what
we saw from our bench tonight, but again, we didn’t have enough.”
Hot shooting kept the Warriors in the game. They made 13 of their 19 3-pointers in the first half, shooting 50% on the night from beyond the arc. Curry made five 3s and Poole and DiVincenzo added four apiece.
The Warriors went 1-2 on this road trip and have lost 20 of their 27 away games this season. They will return home to host the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday.
Originally published at Madeline Kenney