© Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
The Warriors orchestrated one of their most complete wins of the season in a game with playoff seeding implications. They beat the visiting Denver Nuggets, 116-102, Tuesday night. With the win, Golden State leads Denver by two games for the Western Conference’s top overall seed with five regular-season games remaining.
Here are four thoughts from Golden State’s win Tuesday.
Warriors withstand early Nuggets blitz, continue first-quarter dominance
In these teams’ most recent matchup, the Warriors blitzed the Nuggets early, launching a 15-3 run in the game’s opening four minutes. The Nuggets scrambled for the ensuing 44 minutes, and the game was never really close.
The Nuggets didn’t make the same mistake Tuesday, yet they found themselves in a similar spot after the first quarter.
Paul Millsap paced an aggressive Denver attack to open things up. He connected on four of seven shots for 11 points in the first five minutes. The ball skipped around, and the Nuggets attacked the Warriors. Will Barton even faced up Kevin Durant on an iso, which ended in a made bucket. The Nuggets jumped out to a 14-7 lead in the game’s opening 3:15.
Around the halfway point of the first quarter, though, the Warriors clamped down defensively, which led to offensive success. DeMarcus Cousins found an early groove, making five of eight shot attempts for 10 points in the first nine minutes. He established a physicality with Nikola Jokic and won that matchup from start to finish. Cousins finished with 28 points on 12-17 shooting with 12 rebounds and five assists, likely his best game as a Warrior thus far.
The Warriors ended the first quarter on a 14-4 run, erasing an early deficit and retaking control of the game. They led by six at the end of the first quarter. In the past three first quarters in the matchups between these teams, the Warriors led by a combined 29 points. Two matchups ago, the Warriors scored 51 points on the Nuggets in the first quarter.
The Warriors continued painting an offensive masterpiece in the second quarter, from Kevin Durant’s thunderous dunks to Stephen Curry’s ankle-breaking handle. The Nuggets struggled to keep up. The Warriors took a 16-point lead into the second half.
Immediately after the break, the Nuggets played into the Warriors’ hands. A quick Gary Harris three-point miss led to a Durant made midrange jumper on the other end. One possession later, Jamal Murray passed up an open look and found Harris, who missed another three. Klay Thompson responded with a made floater, and the Warriors’ lead ballooned to 20.
The opening two minutes of the second half were massive in a game that felt like it was already slipping from the Nuggets. The game was not close thereafter.
These Nuggets, a young team probably a year away from truly expecting deep playoff success, are learning how difficult it is to withstand these Warriors runs with their own.
Warriors’ beautiful ball movement
Tuesday’s game featured vintage Golden State offense.
The ball rarely stuck during the Warriors’ possessions all night. Of their first 19 field goal makes, 16 of them were assisted. Durant’s recent propensity to pass before shoot in first quarters continued Tuesday, as he tallied four assists in fewer than 10 minutes to start.
There were plenty of examples of Golden State’s selflessness. On one play early in the second quarter, Durant gave up a reverse layup to find an open Thompson, who drilled the corner three. On another play, Cousins ran the floor and delivered a touch pass to a streaking Thompson for a layup. Andrew Bogut checked into the game and delivered several passes that led to open looks.
The Nuggets couldn’t keep up with the Warriors and their rapid ball movement. They finished with 36 assists on 50 made field goals, slightly better than their league-leading 66.9-percent assist rate entering Tuesday.
Durant’s electric night ended early
When asked recently about his offensive approach, Durant has reiterated that he takes what each game presents. He has consistently been questioned about his recent dip in shot totals. Durant shot the ball five times (a career low), six times, and nine times in individual games throughout recent weeks, abnormal for a four-time NBA scoring champion.
Durant may not have approached Tuesday with any different mindset, but we were reminded of his ridiculous athleticism with roof-raising dunks in rapid succession. In the final two minutes of the first half, Durant flushed three dunks, the best of which came on a fast break, as he was fouled.
KD CAUGHT A BODY pic.twitter.com/8sBjS1gorM
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) April 3, 2019
The Warriors’ bench reacted to Durant’s dunks the way most fans in Oracle Arena did.
Bench was going CRAZY for those KD slams pic.twitter.com/PNOHOX8F6f
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) April 3, 2019
But Durant’s night ended early.
About three minutes into the second half, Durant grew frustrated after the referee did not call a foul on a contested three-point attempt. On the ensuing play, Durant yelled at the ref and was slapped with a technical. Cousins tried restraining Durant after the first technical was assessed, but he continued going at the ref, who promptly tossed him from the game.
Oracle Arena joined in a chorus of “Ref, you suck” once play resumed. The chant continued later in the third quarter.
With Durant’s double-technical Tuesday night, he has 15 on the season. If he gets one more, he will be suspended the following game.
Despite playing in 21 minutes, Durant finished with 21 points on 9-13 shooting with six assists.
Warriors’ success over Western-Conference competitors
These Warriors haven’t maintained the every-game dominance we have seen in past years. Last month, when asked about Golden State’s random slip-ups after losing by 35 points to Dallas, Steve Kerr applauded his team for its consistency over this historic five-year run.
But the Warriors have consistently showed up for games with Western-Conference contenders this season. Tuesday marked Golden State’s third straight win over Denver. Last month, the Warriors edged out the Rockets, 106-104, in Houston — one of Golden State’s best victories of the season. Aside from the Rockets, the only other top-eight Western Conference team with a winning record over the Warriors this season is the San Antonio Spurs.
It feels like every time the NBA world seems to question the Warriors’ effort, they respond with a convincing win against a good team. Tuesday was yet another example.
