The Denver Nuggets had no chance of making it to the knockout stage as they concluded their NBA Cup play tonight. It was an ordinary regular season game versus the Golden State Warriors, who had already secured the top seed in Group C, but for the brilliant yellow court. No one was surprised when Steph Curry and Nikola Jokic led their respective teams in a game that was back and forth the entire time. In the end, the good people won because they had the final run. Denver wins 119-115 after a fierce battle.
Denver had a slight lead early on after Jamal Murray scored a few points. Despite Aaron Gordon's impressive three-point shooting, the Warriors still had some open threes and easy buckets in the paint. A timeout was called by Michael Malone after Jonathan Kuminga made a three-pointer to put the Warriors up. While the Warriors continued to grab all the offensive boards and held onto a slim lead, Gordon's outside shooting kept Denver in the game. Late in the quarter, the Nuggets went on a run as their defensive grew more stringent. With three minutes remaining, they regained the lead thanks to a three from Peyton Watson. Malone entered the game to finish the first after Jokic took an early blow.The bench's scoring burden was borne by Russell Westbrook. The Nuggets lead 33–31 after one.Curry opened the second with a bang. He guided Golden State to a 12-2 run to regain the lead and get Jokic off the bench after a few Nuggets baskets.With the ball flying about the court and each player taking turns making open shots, it resembled the Warriors of old. Throughout the quarter, they continued to lead, and the lead reached double digits. Jokic brought everything under control as the period came to a close. With a little more than a minute remaining, he led a 12-0 surge and suddenly everything was knotted.The game was knotted at 57 all at the half after Jokic and Wiggins exchanged threes.
Westbrook lacked the offensive spark he provided the Nuggets in the first half, and Nikola began the fourth on the bench. The Warriors went on a run and regained the lead while Denver struggled to score. They were up four points after a huge slam by Jackson Davis, which prompted Malone to call a timeout. Even after Jokic returned, the Warriors maintained their lead because they had all the momentum. Just before the halfway point of the fourth, it reached double digits. By drawing fouls, mostly of the and-one kind, the Nuggets halted the bleeding there and reduced the margin to five.While the game was coming to a finish and everything was still going through Curry on the other end, Jokic remained Denver's main driver. With less than two minutes remaining, Denver tied the score after Golden State's offensive stutter. Nikola would not be turned away. He got a foul to end the game at the free throw line, blocked a Kuminga shot, and made a mid-range jumper. In a thrilling victory, Denver prevails 119-115.
This was undoubtedly a duel between superstars, even though Steph and Nikola weren't actually drawn to one other for defensive assignments. The other would respond whenever one of them led their team on a run. Ultimately, Nikola made the last run to complete the transaction, but not before Curry gave it his all. Since there was no one else to rely to for scoring, he didn't have the best shooting night. Even so, Steph finishes with eleven assists and twenty-four points. In the meantime, Nikola dominated the stat sheet and was determined to see his side win. He finished with thirty-eight points, ten rebounds, six assists, and five steals.
Although it required teamwork, more can be done.
Although Porter Jr. had some strong moments leading the attack and finished second on the team in scoring, all of the starters were used tonight. It's a tribute to Denver's starters that they can all score in double figures even on their worst nights. No one was outstanding, and some players even struggled. It's sufficient to win at home as long as Jokic has an MVP night, which seems to happen every night these days. A win is a win, even if it's not very inspiring or long-lasting.
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