Recap: Warriors at Nuggets
By Mathew Huff
The Denver Nuggets ran out of gas against the Golden State Warriors
The Denver Nuggets had the toughest of tests on the back end of a back to back. They went up against the defending champion Golden State Warriors after a very emotional win the night before which saw them defeat Miami by one point.
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Denver gave it their best effort in the first half, but in the end, the Warriors were simply too much to overcome. The Nuggets battled back after a sluggish start and made it a game worth watching in the second quarter thanks to the second unit led by Emmanuel Mudiay and Kenneth Faried.
However, when the third quarter came, the Nuggets looked gassed and the Warriors smelled blood in the water. The four stars for the Warriors torched the Nuggets all night and not a single starter in the Nuggets lineup even cracked double figures.
Will Barton was the team’s high point man with 21 points followed by Emmanuel Mudiay with 15 points. The Nuggets finished with a box plus/minus of -19 as a team which is a stark contrast to to the +19 Golden State finished with. The defense let Steph Curry dance circles around them all game as he finished with a box plus/minus of +44, 22 points on 50% shooting and 11 assists.
The Nuggets could not get anything going in the second half and it looked as if the coaching and the team gave up due to the lack of effort shown in the third quarter. Golden State finally put the dagger to the Nuggets in the third after giving them a fight in the second half and it was smooth sailing for the defending champs from there.
Next: Three players who must step up
Now that Denver has a couple days to catch their breath, they should come out much more focused in their next match up against the Brooklyn Nets.