The Nuggets have had a very wacky week of games to say the least. Five games in eight days can always lead to peculiar results, but Mile High Basketball has truly felt like the team might be paying a tribute to March Madness with how crazy the results have been. Most notably the Nuggets lost at home to the Wizards... and then beat the hot Warriors on the road while being short-handed.
Starting with the March 10th game at the Oklahoma City Thunder, Denver bounced back from their loss to OKC one day prior and had arguably their best performance of the season in their 140-127 win over the Thunder. Sadly, they followed up that impressive win with a lackluster and lazy loss against the Minnesota Timberwolves at home 95-115… but it gets weirder.
Denver went on to scrape by and secure a close win over the Lakers without LeBron James or Luka Doncic and then fell to the putrid Wizards for the 2nd time this season. At this point, Nuggets fans felt like the sky was falling and championship hopes might be gone… but then Monday night happened and they shocked the world.
Going from beating the best team in the West to having a bad loss, a shaky win, and an even worse loss, just to somehow upset the Warriors who were on a 7-game win streak (and 12 of their last 13 games) is unfathomable… Not only this, but Denver did so without Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and Christian Braun. March Madness has officially infected the Nuggets.
How Aaron Gordon, Russell Westbrook, and unfamiliar faces upset GSW
Entering the game at Golden State, no one in the world was expecting Denver to compete in the game, let alone win the contest. Coach Michael Malone elected to trot out a starting five of Russell Westbrook, Hunter Tyson, Peyton Watson, Michael Porter Jr., and Aaron Gordon, who was playing small-ball center all game. This was Hunter Tyson’s first ever NBA start.
Westbrook and Gordon controlled the game however, as Gordon dropped his Denver-career high with 38 points connecting on 14/23 field goals and 4/6 three-pointers, while making all six of his free throws. Meanwhile, Westbrook did not shoot well, but had a couple clutch shots and recorded an insane stat line of 12 points, 12 rebounds, 16 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks.
While the Nuggets duo tonight combined for 14 turnovers, the entire offense had to be initiated through the two of them. Porter Jr. had a great game as well, securing a game-high +20 and adding 21 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals. Peyton Watson swatted 4 shots and Vlatko Cancar played 24 minutes, pulling down 8 important rebounds and had a big put-back.
Even Two-way contract player, Spencer Jones, played 19 minutes and looked like he belonged. Every single Nugget had at least a couple insanely important moments throughout the game and thanks to their effort, grit, and toughness, the Nuggets have now beaten the Warriors nine times in a row.
Denver now gets a day off before heading to Los Angeles to face the Lakers for the 2nd time in a week. Let the madness continue!