The Golden State Warriors had the throw down working for them in their win over the Denver Nuggets at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Fri Apr 23, 2021 (@warriors photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors (30-30) returned home to face the Denver Nuggets (38-21) at the Chase Center. For the first time in 409 days, fans were in the seats to watch their beloved Warriors play. About 2000 fans were in the stadium. The Warriors did not disappoint them as they raced their way to a hard-fought victory 118-97.

The last time the teams met on April 12th, the Warriors stunned the Nuggets 116-107. The Nuggets lost one of their stars, Jamal Murray, to an ACL knee injury. The Nuggets were looking to exact revenge and pick up a win Friday night. The injury jinx hit the Nuggets again early in the first quarter. Will Barton had to leave the game with a hamstring injury. P J Dozier replaced him in the lineup.

The Nuggets, coached by former Warrior assistant coach, Mike Malone, had won 20 of their last 25 games. They were 11-2 since acquiring Aaron Gordon at the trade deadline from the Orlando Magic. One of the losses was to the Warriors.

The Warriors were 3-2 on the recent five-game road trip, and they were 6-3 in their last nine games. Stephen Curry set an NBA record for a 33-year-old player with 30 or more points in 11 consecutive games. The Warriors also had to figure out to contain Nikola Jokic. Jokic is in the running to become this season’s MVP. Curry is also a candidate for that honor.

The teams played a very entertaining and competitive first quarter. As mentioned early, Will Barton left with a hamstring injury. The Warriors got a scare when Curry appeared to have injured his right ankle. Curry could not run as well. He went to the bench, and the trainers attended to his injury. The Warriors’ Andrew Wiggins, Kelly Oubre, Jr., and Mychal Mulder paced the Warrior offense. The Warriors finished the first quarter leading 30-24

Curry started the second quarter. The Warriors extended the lead to 41-28. Curry made a couple of baskets to help the Warriors get ahead. Denver then went on a 12-2 run to make it a three-point game 43-40. The Warriors held off Denver to finish the first half leading 54-50.

Andrew Wiggins led the team with 14 points. had Curry seven. Mychal Mulder had nine. Kelly Oubre and Jordan Poole, coming off the bench, each had ten. Aaron Gordon led Denver with ten, Michael Porter, Jr. had nine, Jokic eight, Dozier seven, and Facundo Campazzo, from Argentina, also had seven.

The third quarter belonged to the Warriors. As they have done so many times in the past, they played well on both ends of the court. They had great ball movement outscored Denver 32-24 to finisher the third quarter with a twelve-point lead 86-74.

Curry did not seem to be bothered by his ankle, and he looked like the Curry of old. The Warriors had their foot on the gas pedal, and they finished the third period with a 19-9 run. Golden State was in control of the game. Curry was hot in the fourth quarter. He scored 25 points in the second half to finish with 32. Denver could not get anything going. The Warriors outscored them 32-23 to win by 21 118-97.

Game Notes and Stats: With the win, the Warriors are 30-30 for the year. They have won seven of the last ten games. Curry scored 30 or more points for the 29th time this year. Draymond Green had a double-double with 12 rebounds, and he tied his career-high with 19 assists. The Warriors had 40 assists on 45 made field goals. There was no question that they had no trouble breaking down Denver’s defenses as they recorded those 40 assists.

Kelly Oubre, Jr. had another great game on both ends of the court. Oubre tallied 23 points, six rebounds, and three assists. He knocked down three threes. Andrew Wiggins had 19 points, seven boards, and two assists. Wiggins connected on three threes. Jordan Poole had 15, and Mychal Mulder 14. The Warriors shot 53.6% from the floor. They connected on fifteen threes. The Warriors outrebounded Denver 58-44. 

The Warriors had no answer for Michael Porter, Jr. Porter, who is six feet ten inches tall, led Denver with 26 points and five rebounds. He was seven-for-14 from downtown. The Warriors held Jokic to 19 points. Jokic had six rebounds and six assists. Aaron Gordon finished with 17.

The Warriors host the Sacramento Kings Sunday night at the Chase Center. The Kings beat the Warriors at the Golden One arena in Sacramento on March 25th. The Warriors will be hoping to avenge that loss. The game will start at 7 pm.