By Matthew T.F. Harrington

Given the circumstances, Golden State Warriors fans couldn’t have been faulted if they chose other ways to spend their Friday nights than watching the Dubs face the Denver Nuggets in the Mile High City. After all, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr decided to give a handful of his regulars the night off.

Absent from the line-up were Most Valuable Player candidate Stephen Curry, his All-star running mate Klay Thompson as well as starting center Andrew Bogut and reserves Andre Iguodala and Marreese Speights, the latter of which was serving a one-game suspension for reckless driving. Still, lacking 67 percent of their offensive output, Golden State (51-13) managed to keep things interesting, ultimately falling to the Nuggets 114-103.

Justin Holiday, averaging 3.6 points per game this season, topped the Warriors with 23 points while Denver’s Kenneth Faried and Danilo Gallinari each put up 24 points on the punchless Dubs. Faried also pulled down game-high 17 rebounds to complete the eye-popping double-double.

Denver (25-41) took the early lead, outscoring the Warriors 34-26 but a 28-28 second quarter kept Denver from adding to the lead. Golden State outscored the Nuggets in only one quarter, the third, with a 29-20 run to pull ahead 83-82. The reserve brigade couldn’t close out the game though, allowing 32 Denver points to 20 in the final quarter to give Denver its fourth win in its last ten games.

The Warriors head home to Oracle Arena for a Saturday night showdown with the New York Knicks. More likely than not, Thompson and Curry will be on the court for the inter-conference tilt.