For one half of basketball, this battered, broken, beautifully stubborn Golden State Warriors roster had Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets exactly where they wanted them. Then the second half happened and Denver cruised to a 116-93 victory in Colorado.
Golden State came out of the gate with something to prove and the stat sheet to back it up. The Warriors led 53-46 at halftime and it felt plausible this team could grit out a win on the road. In the first two quarters they out rebounded Denver 22-18,
dominated the paint 22-14, and turned the ball into a weapon generating 18 assists on 21 made field goals in the first two quarters. Kristaps Porzingis was unconscious, going 4-for-4 from three in the first half alone and finishing with 14 at the break. Brandin Podziemski was already cooking. Draymond Green was orchestrating with 10 points and 5 assists before halftime, reminding everyone that when this system hums, it genuinely hums.
For a half, a shorthanded Warriors team (no Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler, or Moses Moody among others) — was outplaying a legitimate title contender on their home floor.
Then Jokic took over as he’s done so many time as Denver flipped the script completely. The Nuggets finished shooting 50% from the field and 47% from three-point range, going 19-for-40 beyond the arc for the game. Jokic ended with 25 points, 15 rebounds, and 8 assists, doing it all with that infuriating casual efficiency that makes you want to both applaud and flip a table.
Golden State’s offense, so fluid in the first half, ran into a wall. The Warriors finished 35-for-83 from the field (42%) and a painful 14-for-42 from three (33%). The turnovers that were manageable at halftime snowballed to 15 for the game, with Denver converting those miscues into 22 points (9 more than the Warriors got off Denver’s 12 turnovers) That swing was gasoline on the fire that was Denver’s momentum.
Podziemski finished with 23 points on 8-of-14 shooting, hitting 5-of-8 threes. De’Anthony Melton went 0-for-5. LJ Cryer shot 0-for-6. The Warriors needed someone, anyone, besides Podz and KP to keep the pressure on when Denver made their run. It didn’t come.
The Dubs had them. Then Jokic closed the door, locked it, and slid the key under the floorboards.
For the Warriors tonight proved that the fight is still there. The roster just isn’t.
