SAN FRANCISCO – While a makeshift Warriors starting five battled it out with Denver’s Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray at Chase Center on Sunday afternoon, only four reserves were available to take on one of the West’s true contenders.
All of the pieces for a big Golden State loss were in place.
The Warriors played the game with a skeleton crew. Steph Curry (runner’s knee) and Kristaps Porzingis (illness) were both ruled out. The frontcourt got even thinner as Draymond Green was scratched five minutes before tipoff with lower back soreness. Horford took his place and drew the unenviable assignment of guarding Jokic.
But riding an electric finish by Brandin Podziemski, the Warriors notched a spirited 128-117 win.
He came off the bench and scored 15 of his 18 in the fourth quarter, shaking off a 1-for-10 shooting start to close out the Nuggets. He made all manner of fadeaways, floaters and 3-pointers, each one bringing the crowd to their feet. Podziemski also grabbed 15 rebounds — eight in the fourth quarter — and just missed out on a triple-double with nine assists.
Al Horford turned back the clock and scored 22 points on his son Ean’s 11th birthday. Moses Moody led the Warriors with 23, while De’Anthony Melton (20) and Gui Santos (17) joined him in double figures. Off that depleted bench, Gary Payton II put in 15 points and Will Richard contributed 11. Jokic scored 35, grabbed 20 rebounds and had 12 assists for the Nuggets.
They kept it close late, going into the final six minutes tied at 109. After the Nuggets brough Jokic and Murray back into the game, their presence only seemed to fire up the Warriors more. Golden State ripped off a 7-0 run over the next 1:18 to force another Denver timeout. The Warriors took control from there and closed out the victory behind Podziemski’s flurry.
The shorthanded Warriors rose to the occasion in a nationally televised game from the start, bursting out to a 39-27 lead after one quarter, shooting 9 of 19 from behind the arc while Denver was just 10 of 27 from the field. That high level of offensive execution continued into the second quarter, with the Warriors leading 76-67 at halftime. Golden State had 25 assists on 27 makes.
The 15-minute halftime break cooled the Warriors off quite a bit, with Golden State clanking on all 14 of their shots from behind the arc in the third quarter. Six turnovers did not help either, and the Nuggets led 101-95 after three quarters.
The Warriors (30-27) will travel to New Orleans next for a game on Tuesday (5 p.m., NBC Sports Bay Area).
Porzingis takes sick day
Kristaps Porzingis had spent the past few days practicing with the Warriors, with the team expecting him to be able to increase his minutes from the 17 he played against Boston on Thursday in his debut.
Instead, on Sunday morning, the 7-foot-2 center, who scored 12 points against the Celtics, was ruled out with an illness that left him confined to his Bay Area hotel.
“I got a text this morning that he was sick at the hotel, and he’s not even going to come over here,” Kerr said. “He’s pretty sick.”
Porzingis has played in only 18 total games this season, and has dealt with various injuries as well as postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS). Kerr said he had not talked to Porzingis directly and was unsure what sort of illness he had.
The coach was also unsure if Porzingis would be available for the upcoming two-game road trip to New Orleans and Memphis.
Warriors tune in for hockey
Steve Kerr was one of many members of the Warriors organization who had a keen interest in Sunday morning’s USA vs. Canada Olympic gold medal hockey game.
Related Articles
How the Golden State Warriors’ senior dancers became fan favorites Why Warriors are rooting hard for Macklin Celebrini ahead of USA-Canada Olympic gold medal match: ‘That kid’s just unreal’ With Curry out, Steve Kerr must amend Draymond Green’s role for Warriors Kurtenbach: Too good to tank, too bad to matter — the Warriors are trapped in purgatory Breaking down the good – and bad – of Kristaps Porzingis’ Warriors debutPatriotism was not the only reason for the team’s fascination. The Warriors tuned in to watch Macklin Celebrini, the son of team doctor Rick Celebrini, lead Canada. As of late Sunday morning, Kerr had yet to reach out to Rick after the USA’s 2-1 overtime victory.
“I’d imagine they’re pretty disappointed, pretty bummed,” Kerr said.
After what Kerr called an “incredible, incredible sporting event”, he was moved by members of Team USA holding up a jersey to honor the late Johnny Gaudreau, who along with his brother Matthew, was killed by a drunk driver in 2024.
“It was incredibly emotional, and then they showed his parents in the stands,” Kerr said. “I knew the story, of course, but didn’t know his family would be at the game. That was just unbelievably emotional.”
Hence then, the article about warriors instant analysis brandin podziemski scorches nuggets in fourth to close out improbable victory was published today ( ) and is available on mercury news ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Warriors instant analysis: Brandin Podziemski scorches Nuggets in fourth to close out improbable victory )
Also on site :