Tag: Denver Nuggets

Denver Nuggets guard Bryn Forbes (6) expands to take a shot against the Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga (00) at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Wed Feb 16, 2022 (AP News photo)

Buzzer Beater For Nuggets Defeats Warriors 117-116

By Barbara Mason

Monday night the Warriors were on the losing end of a beat down by the Los Angeles Clippers. Tonight the Warriors (42-17) were back at Chase Center to take on the Denver Nuggets (33-15) in their last game before the All-Star break. This is their second meeting this year.

The Warriors have struggled on the defensive side of the ball. They have fallen to a shocking 23rd in the league and are capable of so much more.

They are missing Draymond Green but they are looking forward to the return of James Wiseman which is scheduled soon after the All-Star game. He has taken part in five on five drills and with the vast improvement of rookie Jonathan Kuminga there is a bright spot on the horizon for Golden State.

Draymond has begun light activity on the court so good news there. With the return of Wiseman and the play of Kuminga the Warriors will hopefully have some big defensive players on the court next week.

The Warriors got a fast start leading mid-way through the first quarter 17-8. The Nuggets who got a slow start began to heat up as the quarter began to wind down, After the first 12 minutes the Warriors led 33-25 in an impressive defensive quarter forcing four Nugget turnovers.

The Warriors kept up a fast pace in the second quarter shooting an efficient 56 %. The one sore spot in this game were the missed open shots attempted by the Warriors. With under two minutes left in the half Golden State wanted to finish strong. Kuminga and Stephen Curry each had 12 points in the half with Golden State leading 63-54.

The turnovers were 16-3 in favor of the Warriors so they were doing a great job protecting the ball. Golden State had led for the entire half in this game. The team had 17 assists with 20 rebounds. The Warriors had 30 points in the paint so they were getting inside successfully.

The Warriors started the third quarter shooting 55% and taking a 74-61 lead in the opening minutes. After three quarters the Warriors led 86-78.

The fourth quarter saw the Nuggets back in this game trailing by four points in the early minutes of the final quarter. The Warriors did not want to go into the break losing four out of five and so this game was an important one. With three minutes left in the game seven players for Golden State had double digits trying to finish this game strong.

With 45 seconds left in this game the Warriors held a one possession lead 113-110 and the Nuggets had the ball. Denver had never led in this game and with 14.9 left in the game the Nuggets took their first lead 114-113. In a shocker the Nuggets won this game at the buzzer 117-116. After leading the entire game the Warriors just could not close it out.

This had one of the toughest losses for the Warriors this season. The Warriors were great defending the three point line and had seven players shooting double digits. Gary Payton II had six steals in the game. Curry finished with 25 points and the bench was amazing with Jordan Poole the high shooting 15 points.

The Warriors next game will be next Thursday at Portland taking on the Trail Blazers. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00.

The Golden State Warriors Draymond Green (left) defends against the Sacramento Kings Buddy Hield (right) during contest at Chase Center San Francisco on Mon Dec 20, 2021. Green said there were Covid 19 protocol rules in place to prevent the postponement of Thu Dec 30, 2021 game in Denver against the Denver Nuggets (AP News photo)

Warriors, Nuggets Bit By the Covid Bug

By Barbara Mason

Tuesday night the Denver Nuggets barely beat the Golden State Warriors 89-86. The Warriors were at a significant disadvantage with a number of starters and bench players sitting this game out on covid protocol. The team was scheduled to play the Nuggets in Denver in a back-to-back Thursday night hoping to settle the score.

The Warriors had arrived in Denver and shortly before the game were advised that this game would have to be postponed due to covid. This was the second Denver game this season that has been postponed. The Nuggets have 7 players that are out (injury) and four that were questionable for tonight’s game. Also out were Head Coach Michael Malone as well as a number of staff members.

The Warriors were waiting to see if the questionable players would be able to go. It was finally decided that this game would not be played tonight.

It was a very frustrating waiting game for Golden State. Draymond Green was vocal on social media blasting the NBA. “How do you continue to cancel games when you’ve implemented rules to prevent this from happening?

Is that not a competitive advantage for other teams? The guys we didn’t have due to the protocol list played no role in Tuesday’s loss? Pick a side but don’t straddle the fence,” he said. The game that will have to be played at a later date will probably be a back-to-back for the Warriors which is another advantage for Denver. Another great point that Green expressed.

So the bottom line is that between the covid cases and the injuries on the Nugget roster the team was unable to put together the league minimum eight players available to start this game. It is what it is but it’s the Warriors that will potentially suffer when this game is finally played.

There was no date for the rescheduled game at the time of this posting. So this virus continues to run rampant across the league. There are currently about 120 players on covid protocol along with countless head coaches joining them on the protocol.

Besides the Nuggets Head Coach Michael Malone on the covid list, Doc Rivers (Philadelphia), Frank Vogel (Lakers), Billy Donovan ( Chicago), Monty Williams (Phoenix), Chauncey Billups (Portland) and Mark Daigneault (OKC) also join Malone in the protocol. Every head coach in the NBA has been fully vaccinated.

The next game for Warriors is scheduled for Saturday night against the Utah Jazz at 6:00 PM. This road game for the Warriors has the Jazz slightly favored to win. With all the disruptions that the Warriors have faced lately they will have to dig deep once again. They have faced adversity before, it is no stranger to the Warriors. They have handled it in the past and they will attempt to do it yet again in Utah.

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry after he converts shooting a 3-point basket, the 3,000th of his career runs up the other end of the court against the Denver Nuggets on Tue Dec 28, 2021 at the Chase Center in San Francisco (AP News photo)

No Post-Christmas Miracle For Golden State Nuggets Prevail 89-86

By Barbara Mason

The absence of Draymond Green really hurt the Golden State Warriors (27-7) offensively and most of all defensively. They dug a very deep hole for themselves in the first half of this game with poor shooting and turnovers. The results for the Warriors were just as bad in a three point 89-86 loss to the Denver Nuggets (17-16)

The good news for the Warriors was the return of Andrew Wiggins Tuesday night. They took on Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets in the first of back-to-back games against Denver.

There was some bad news however for Golden State in this game. The Nuggets completely outplayed the Warriors in the first quarter. Turnovers and missed shots gave the Nuggets the early 31-16 lead. While it was great to have Wiggins back, he needed help from his teammates who could not get anything going.

At the half the Warriors were looking at a 60-36 deficit. Denver was totally beating up Golden State in this game. The shots from downtown were elusive for the Warriors shooting 4 of 17. This was the lowest score of the season for Golden State in a first half. They were shooting 23% after two quarters. The Nuggets got off to a running start in this game and it would be tough to slow them down.

The Nuggets Will Barton had 17 points but it was the huge presence of Jokic that ruled the court in the first two quarters. The Warriors had a lot of work to do in the second half.

The Warriors had dug a deep hole and would need a monster third quarter to make up this deficit. Wiggins was high point man in the first half with 12 points and was the only player with double digits. Stephen Curry had two points and was 0-5 from downtown and they needed to somehow get Curry open. The bench didn’t have much going either. The bright spot of the contest Curry hit his 3000th career three pointer to become the first NBA player in history to accomplish such a feat.

This game could possibly be the best game that the Nuggets have played all season. They had it going at every turn, forcing turnovers and missed shots and they had totally contained Curry.

Golden State cut the 24 point half time deficit by nearly a half in the third quarter. The Nuggets started to miss some shots but the Warriors could not take full advantage of it. The third quarter did end on a high note as Curry hit his first three point shot of the game. Trailing by the score of 74-61 the Warriors needed stops and they needed a lot of them.

In the fourth quarter Jonathan Kuminga cut the Nugget lead to single digits with eight minutes left in the game. Denver had been held to 27 % shooting in the second half trying to hold onto a five point lead 79-74.

Denver had only shot 19 points in the second half with six minutes remaining. With less than a minute the game was tied at 84. The Nuggets Will Barton was the difference in this game scoring a tipped shot and a couple of free throws.

The final was 89-86. The post-Christmas miracle that almost was, did not come to fruition. Golden State certainly had a lot of opportunity to win this game but they just had too much to overcome.

Great defense by the Warriors in the second half was just not enough. The missed free throws, 15 in all, and the turnovers really hurt the team in this game. The double coverage on Curry all night was also challenging. He did finish with 23 points and five from downtown. It was just too little too late for Golden State.

The Warriors continue the home at home series and will have the opportunity to even the score Thursday night in Denver when they play a second game. Tipoff is schedule for 6:30.

The Golden State Warriors picked up a narrow pre season victory over the visiting Denver Nuggets at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Wed Oct 6, 2021 (USA Today photo)

Warriors Come From Behind To Beat Denver 118-116

By Barbara Mason

This evening the Golden State Warriors took on the Denver Nuggets in their second pre-season game. Tonight we will see Denver superstar Nikola Jokic. Jokic referred to as the “Joker” took his game to another level last season winning the MVP award just edging past Stephen Curry. He will be relying heavily on two of his youngest teammates Michael Porter Jr. and Aaron Gordon this season.

While these two players are to be watched out for, the Warriors have their own arsenal of young players in Jordan Poole who shot 30 points in Golden State’s last game with 7 three pointers. Another mega talent for the Warriors is Andrew Wiggins. Of course the Warriors have Steph Curry. Klay Thompson, Draymond Greene and former Nugget Andre Iguodala but the club is building a whole new and exciting level of younger players around these guys.

This will be the first game at the Chase Center this season and that in itself is enough to get fans coming out for this game. Although it is pre season, fans will no doubt have a great time out tonight.

A small but boisterous crowd was on hand for the second pre-season game. The Nuggets jumped out to a 39-26 lead as the first quarter came to an end. Jordan Poole had another nice quarter with 10 points.

In the second quarter the Warriors began to force turnovers and crept back into this game. Otto Porter Jr. had four shots from downtown in the half and showed some real tenacity defensively. With four minutes left in the half the Warriors had cut a fifteen point deficit down to four. The score at the half was 63-62 in favor of the Warriors. We saw some Curry magic shooting his fourth three pointer with 1.9 seconds left on the clock.

After three quarters Denver had a 89-84 lead. Bjelica and Porter Jr. had a combined 28 points off the bench.

A little over two minutes into the fourth quarter the Warriors had taken a 93-91 lead. The final was a close one with Golden State coming out on top 118-116. Jordan Poole would finish with 17 and Steph Curry with 14 points.

Friday night the Warriors will take on the Lakers at Chase Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 PM.

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.