The Nuggets haven’t known what it feels like to lose to the Warriors since the 2022 playoffs. Golden State reminded them of the feeling Friday with a 118-104 win in San Francisco.
Denver (47-31) has lost three games in a row, falling back into fourth place in the West with only a 1.5-game lead on seventh place.
The loss ended a nine-game winning streak against the Warriors.
Lack of help for Jokic catches up
Nikola Jokic owned the first quarter, piling up 15 points, three boards and three assists on eight shots. He oversaw a comprehensive offensive onslaught. The Nuggets scored 44 points in the frame, 26 of them in the paint, and shot 71% from the floor.
In the last three quarters, they combined for 60 points and 22 turnovers.
Without Jamal Murray available to provide secondary scoring, Michael Porter Jr. had a solid first half but couldn’t sustain a shooting rhythm afterward, while the Warriors hunted him at the other end. Christian Braun was often too tentative at the offensive end. Russell Westbrook was often too aggressive. Aaron Gordon wasn’t able to put on a superman cape in the Bay Area this time.
Jokic tried transforming into Steph Curry in the third quarter to keep his team afloat, but not even a barrage of 3s could do the trick. He finished with 33 points (13 of 17), 12 rebounds, nine assists and six turnovers.
Curry finally cooks Nuggets
One of the keys to Denver’s success in this matchup has been its ability to defend the 3-point line and prevent Curry from going supernova mode. Entering Friday’s game, he was averaging 22 points on 28% outside shooting against the Nuggets this season. In 2023-24, he was 31% beyond the arc in four head-to-head games.
He was bound to have one of those nights sooner or later. Braun struggled to keep him in front at the point of attack, Golden State forced Jokic into the actions relentlessly throughout the game, and Curry did his thing. On the second night of a back-to-back, he amassed 36 points in 32 minutes, knocking down seven 3s.
Westbrook gets too erratic
The former league MVP has been effective next to Jokic for most of this season, proving himself to be a worthwhile budget signing in a contained role. But his erratic tendencies have caught up to him lately. He went for five points on 2-of-9 shooting against the Warriors, assisting only two buckets and turning it over four times.
Denver started to lose control at the beginning of the second quarter — coincidentally after Jokic sat for the first time — when a lineup featuring Westbrook, Jalen Pickett, Vlatko Cancar, Zeke Nnaji and Porter failed to score for more than three minutes.
A 12-point lead was long gone by halftime. Golden State won the quarter, 32-16. It ended with a side-out play for Denver. Jokic released from a screen and gestured for Westbrook to inbound the ball to him. Westbrook sailed the pass over Jokic and everyone else, the ball landing out of bounds on the other sideline.