DENVER – With their franchise player sick and stuck at home in the Bay Area, the Warriors needed to play a nearly-perfect game just to compete with the Nuggets in Denver on Friday night.
They needed timely shotmaking by Buddy Hield and Brandin Podziemski. Energetic defense from Jonathan Kuminga and Draymond Green. Crisp passes by the collective.
They got … none of that.
The Nuggets shredded the Steph Curry-less Warriors 129-104 at Ball Arena in the teams’ first Emirates Cup group stage game.
The Nuggets shot 55.8% from the field and made 12 of 20 3-pointers in the first half alone to take a 66-49 lead. Meanwhile, the Warriors committed X turnovers and were simply outmatched by the Nuggets.
During one Nuggets run late in the second quarter, Warriors coach Steve Kerr sat motionless for several possessions, glaring straight ahead while displaying a look of disgust.
The second half did not give Kerr much reason to do anything more than that.
The team’s top three young players – Podziemski, Kuminga and Moody – combined to score just two points on 1 of 12 shooting in the first half while finding time to commit three turnovers. They finished 10 of 29 from the field.
Jimmy Butler led the Warriors with 19 points, and Draymond Green made five 3-pointers and scored 17 points. Nikola Jokic put up 26 points on 12 of 15 shooting, while also dishing out nine assists and grabbing nine rebounds. He did not play in the fourth quarter.
Archbishop Mitty product and San Jose native Aaron Gordon scored 18 while abusing Podziemski and other Warriors guards in the low post. His most spectacular two points brought back memories of his days in the West Catholic Athletic League, a poster dunk that came after he triple crossed up Hield in the third quarter.
The Warriors fell to 5-5 after losing its fourth in five games.
Golden State will attempt to snap its two-game losing streak in the Bay Area on Sunday against Indiana.
Losing the non-Jokic minutes
For Golden State to have any chance of defeating the Nuggets, the team would need to win the minutes that Nikola Jokic did not play.
After getting off to a 10-0 start to begin the second quarter, the Warriors looked well on their way to doing just that as they trailed just 32-31.
But then Denver caught fire from deep – Murray and backup center Jonas Valanciunas each hit two – to spur a 19-3 run with the three-time MVP still on the bench.
Jokic and Gordon did not check back in until the four-minute mark, and the well-rested duo helped the Nuggets maintain control.
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Curry could be nearing a return to the court after missing the past two games with an illness that left him coughing and sneezing during his last public appearance.
Prior to Friday’s game, Kerr said that he had exchanged text messages with his star, and that Curry’s condition was improving. He told media that he expected the point guard to be questionable for Sunday’s matchup with the Pacers.
Will Richard excels
There were very few positives for the Warriors on Friday night. One of those few was the play of second-round rookie Will Richard. Coming off a 30-point night at Sacramento – the second-most ever by a Warrior rookie in a first start – he checked in midway through the second quarter.
Richard’s motor ran high despite the lopsided score, cutting for two layups and also canning a 3-pointer to put up a quick seven points in the period. He ended the night with 12 points. Quinten Post scored 14 points and Pat Spencer put in 10 with four assists as fellow sparks off the bench.
Upcoming schedule
The Warriors will not have long to enjoy their trip back to the Bay Area. After playing Indiana, Golden State hits the road for a six-game road trip starting on Tuesday.
The slate begins in Oklahoma City, sees the team play twice in San Antonio and then swings down to New Orleans. The road trip concludes with a Florida back-to-back in Orlando and Miami.
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