Curry, Poole, Thompson lead Warriors past Nuggets, 118-113
DENVER (AP) — Stephen Curry and Jordan Poole scored 27 factors every, Klay Thompson made six 3-pointers on his method to 26 factors and the Golden State Warriors muscled previous the Denver Nuggets 118-113 on Thursday night time to take a 3-0 lead within the playoff collection.
Draymond Green added a key steal from Nikola Jokic, who completed with 37 factors and 18 rebounds, within the closing minute and the Warriors closed on a 9-2 run to place the Nuggets on the cusp of elimination.
Golden State can wrap up the collection Sunday in Denver. Groups going through a 3-0 deficit in an NBA playoff collection are 0-143.
The Nuggets had been in management for a lot of the second half however after Jokic’s finger roll layup put Denver forward 111-109 with 3:20 left, the Warriors tightened up on protection.
The Nuggets went six straight possessions with out scoring and Golden State had the sport in hand by the point Will Barton‘s tip-in with 23 seconds left pulled Denver to 117-113.
Aaron Gordon added 18 factors for the Nuggets, who took an 89-87 lead into the fourth quarter however misplaced for the seventh straight time within the postseason.
Nuggets coach Michael Malone complained earlier than the sport that his group hadn’t been aggressive, bodily or vocal within the collection, so he inserted Facundo Campazzo into his rotation after dropping the primary two video games by a mean of 18 factors.
“Whenever you’re a bit bit undermanned like we’re, we now have to be extremely bodily, extremely aggressive and take the battle to them,” Malone mentioned.
Campazzo wasn’t the reply, however the Nuggets got here out of halftime with renewed vitality and used a 30-18 third quarter to take an two-point lead into the fourth quarter.
The Nuggets missed their final 4 pictures of the primary half and Curry had a 3-pointer and a three-point play to push Golden State’s result in 69-59 on the break.
With out max gamers Jamal Murray (ACL) and Michael Porter Jr. (again), the Nuggets knew they needed to gradual the tempo as a result of they can not sustain with the wholesome Warriors.
“We’re in a Pinto, and so they’re in a Maserati,” Malone quipped.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr chuckled on the analogy, noting he is by no means owned both mannequin.
“I am someplace in between,” he mentioned.
There isn’t any denying his group is turbo-charged, nonetheless, after lacking the playoffs the final two seasons.
“I feel in some methods, we’re reinvigorated after the final couple of years,” Kerr mentioned. “We had a long term that began earlier than I bought right here. Seven straight years within the playoffs and 5 journeys to the Finals and there was plenty of fatigue at that time, emotional, bodily fatigue. It was very straightforward to inform and to really feel that so, final couple of years we haven’t been within the playoffs.
“The sense that I get from … the fellows who’ve been right here a very long time, it’s they’re glad as hell to be again. In order that they’re taking part in with plenty of plenty of vitality, plenty of pleasure.”
INJURIES
Green rolled his left ankle halfway by the third quarter however stayed within the recreation. Jordan Poole went to the bench a short while later, grabbing his left elbow. Trainers put a heating pad on his left elbow and forearm however he returned to motion.
HOME SOUR HOME
The Nuggets do not precisely have a homecourt benefit after successful extra video games on the highway (25) than at Ball Enviornment (23) this season.
“I think about this place goes to be half filled with Warriors followers,” Malone mentioned Wednesday earlier than president of basketball operations Tim Connelly went on the airwaves to implore Nuggets followers to not promote their tickets to Warriors followers.
But, a protracted broadcasting dispute has stored Nuggets video games off native cable TV for 3 years, and that is presumably led to a decline in die-hard Denver followers.
TIP-INS
Warriors: Curry has at the very least one 3-pointer in an NBA-best 115 consecutive playoff video games. … The Warriors shot 68% from the ground within the first half and 6 totally different gamers mixed for a dozen 3-pointers. … Thompson (388) now in sole possession of third on NBA Playoffs all-time 3-pointers checklist, passing Ray Allen (385).
Nuggets: Denver has been outscored within the second quarter of the collection by a mixed 99-72. They’ve allowed Golden State to go on second-quarter runs of 16-0 in Recreation 1, 15-2 in Recreation 2 and 15-4 in Recreation 3. … The primary signal of the Nuggets’ extra aggressive play got here within the first quarter when Jokic hip-checked Curry to the ground however didn’t draw a whistle simply earlier than Austin Rivers’ 3-pointer from the nook.
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Arnie Stapleton, The Related Press
