No matter how much steam the Warriors have built up this month, Nikola Jokic will remain the NBA’s unstoppable force.
Jokic ended Golden State’s winning streak on Sunday night; the Warriors had won 10 of their previous 12 games prior to the Nuggets’ arrival, during which they were defending champions. Jokic led Denver to a 119-103 triumph in a game that was broadcasted nationwide. He scored 32 points, grabbed 16 rebounds, and added four steals. He had a hand in forcing Draymond Green into his career-high six turnovers on defence.
“Jokic was absolutely phenomenal,” commented Warriors coach Steve Kerr following the game. He utterly dominated that game and repeatedly put us in our place. “There is a reason they are the champs.”
The Nuggets swept the season series at Chase Centre, 4-0, despite a good start from the Warriors (29-27), led by Klay Thompson. By the time coach Steve Kerr benched his starting lineup in the fourth quarter, Golden State had scored only 16 points, and the offence had cooled down once Thompson did as well.
The Warriors’ leading scorer, Thompson, had a blazing first half, making five 3-pointers. Nevertheless, following the break, he was held scoreless.
With Sunday’s game being the third in a row, the Warriors had dropped all three meetings versus Denver, with a combined total of 12 points. With time running out, Jokic broke a 127-127 deadlock with a 39-foot buzzer beater, giving the Nuggets their last victory at Chase Centre.
The Warriors were laser-focused from the opening tip in Sunday’s game, which Kerr dubbed the “ultimate test,” because to their active hands in the passing lanes and their ability to create offensive opportunities with back-cuts. The ball whirled around on a thread as Warriors jerseys splattered all over the court.
Throughout, the attention was focused on how the Warriors would evaluate the two-time MVP, Nikola Jokic. Centre Kevon Looney’s playing time has decreased due to Green starting at five. On the other hand, Looney is their second-most physical option and has defended Jokic before. Against Denver, he played a far larger role in the game strategy of the smaller Warriors.
Not long after he checked in, Jokic scored in the post against Looney. However, Looney promptly responded with consecutive stops, even without double-team assistance. They were successful in their goal of avoiding foul trouble with Green and Looney, which was crucial while facing Jokic. While it is true that no team can hope to stop Jokic—perhaps the best player in the world—the Warriors did the right thing by retaining their best defensive alternatives.
At the same time, the renowned marksman Thompson was in top form, shooting and flowing. Including an off-balance wing heave, he sunk four threes in the first quarter. Even a powerful defender like Kentavious Caldwell-Pope could not keep up with him.
Thompson has been known to sit on the bench with a towel over his head and slap his thighs in fury multiple times this season. On numerous occasions, he has lagged behind, his shot falling just short. After being benched for the first time since his rookie year, he has been openly struggling emotionally, facing his own death, according to his coach.
However, he mustered that signature confidence that always appears when his shots are connecting in the first half.
Following his sixth triple, Thompson sprinted to the base of the infield and yelled out to the boisterous Chase Centre audience. He had lost 21 points in under nine minutes by that moment. Shortly after, Thompson scored a driving layup by putting the ball on the floor and beating Zeke Nnaji. The Warriors held a commanding 11-point advantage when he took a seat during the second quarter. Another goal would elude him.
In spite of Thompson’s 23-point performance, the Warriors were unable to break away in the first half thanks to a 14-0 run started by Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic.
Steph Curry stayed still as Jokic surpassed the triple-double threshold at the beginning of the third and Murray failed to miss. During Denver’s 12-0 third-inning run, he went 2-for-11 and failed to produce a stoppage.
At a deficit of 10, Curry mustered the energy to begin. In addition to his 20 points, he extended his game to the 3-point line after getting a couple of free throws and getting in for a finger roll. With 82 seconds remaining in the game, he set up Lester Quinones for a corner three with a drive and kick.
But his splash brother ran dry the second Curry got going. Although he began the game 7 for 10, Thompson missed five consecutive shots. Curry, who appeared exhausted in the previous two games, scored 20 points on 19 attempts.
Attempting to narrow Denver’s eight-point advantage with 1:45 remaining, the Warriors’ Nikola Jokic received a bounce pass on the short roll, then, in a single motion, spun and tossed an alley-oop to Aaron Gordon. There were far too many of these magnificent plays by Jokic for Golden State to handle.
