SAN FRANCISCO — As if to point out how significant Steph Curry’s absence should have been, Nikola Jokic inbounded the ball to him.
It was a haphazard mistake, a rushed attempt to quickly resume play after the Warriors scored Sunday. Jamal Murray was the target, but he was being pressured. Jokic, practically falling forward from the baseline, tossed the ball into no man’s land. It bounced directly to Curry, who was wearing street clothes, on the home bench. Curry jokingly went into a shooting motion.
The Nuggets fell for the trap. With the Bay Area legend out, Denver still couldn’t defend the 3-point line Sunday in a 128-117 loss to the short-handed Warriors. A six-point lead disappeared in the fourth quarter at Chase Center as Golden State finished off a 21-for-52 shooting performance from downtown with a 20-2 run.
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Jokic went for 35 points, 20 rebounds and 12 assists, narrowly missing what would have been the ninth first-half triple-double in the play-by-play era (since 1997-98). Seven of his assists were in the first quarter. The Warriors swarmed him late. The Nuggets wilted again in clutch time.
Golden State's dreams of a deep playoff run seemed to die when Jimmy Butler tore his ACL at the end of January, but the team hosting Denver on national television Sunday was especially depleted. Curry, who handed the Nuggets a heartbreaker back on opening night, is sidelined by runner's knee. Big man Kristaps Porzingis texted Warriors coach Steve Kerr on Sunday morning with news that he was ill and couldn't make it to the arena.
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Horford knocked down a pair of early 3-pointers, setting the tone with an 11-2 lead. The Warriors were in five-out mode suddenly. They created open 3s with quick, crisp passing. The Nuggets were stuck in rotations, chasing their own tails around the perimeter. Catalyzed by a 5-for-6 half by Horford, Golden State went into the break with 25 assists on 27 buckets, which included 15 from downtown -- on pace to break the all-time record.
The Warriors even spotted Denver an 0-for-12 third quarter from deep. Jokic couldn't get enough help. He and Jamal Murray combined for 10 turnovers. Murray was held to 21 points on 17 field goal attempts. Christian Braun scored 18 points, most assisted by Jokic.
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