After playing what could easily be considered their worst first half of the season on Tuesday at the Chase Center, the Warriors went to the locker room with a 24-point halftime deficit and concerns about how they’d navigate the remainder of a tough stretch without star forward Draymond Green.
The Warriors didn’t alleviate all of those concerns amid a furious second-half comeback against the Nuggets, but they did ride an outstanding fourth quarter from Stephen Curry to tie the game in the final minute before falling 89-86.
Golden State (27-7) had enough offensive firepower to challenge the Nuggets late, but a horrific first-half showing on both ends of the floor and a brutal 16-for-31 showing at the free throw line proved too costly in the Warriors’ third home loss of the season.
Rookie Jonathan Kuminga challenged Nuggets center Nikola Jokić at the rim with a potential game-tying field goal attempt with under five seconds remaining, but Jokić came away with a clean block to preserve Denver’s victory.
Following a foul and a made free throw from Nuggets guard Facundo Campazzo, veteran wing Andre Iguodala missed another potential game-tying shot at the buzzer.
Though Green – who entered health and safety protocols on Sunday – never stepped on the court, Tuesday’s matchup with Denver could serve as a case study proving his value to the Warriors.
A Warriors offense that relies on Green to create open looks and a Warriors defense that often asks Green to defend an opponent’s best player while simultaneously controlling the paint appeared overwhelmed early by a mediocre Denver team that entered Tuesday’s game with a 16-16 record.
Green isn’t a volume scorer, but his absence clearly robbed the Warriors of offensive rhythm against the Nuggets as the team appeared out of sync while Curry was unable to generate open shots. Curry turned in his worst first-half performance of the season against Denver, scoring just two points on 1-of-6 from the field while committing four turnovers, including three in the game’s first three minutes.
The offensive struggle was on full display in the closing moments of the first half as several Warriors stood motionless as Curry dribbled out the clock before air-balling a contested 3-point attempt.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said pregame that the rookie Kuminga could play a pivotal role in offsetting Green’s absence, and while Kuminga showed glimpses of promise during Tuesday’s game, he also became a liability at the free throw line. The 19-year-old lottery choice asserted himself on offense and showed much-needed aggression driving toward the basket, but it failed to pay off as he made just 3-of-10 free throw attempts.
Curry entered Tuesday’s game with 2,999 career 3-point field goals, but didn’t make No. 3,000 until launching the Warriors’ final attempt of the third quarter. The shot allowed Curry to match his NBA record and career-best streak of 157 games with at least one 3-pointer, but the Warriors still opened the fourth quarter trailing by 13 points.
A flurry from Curry, who scored 16 of his team-high 23 points in the fourth quarter, helped the Warriors close the gap, but Denver emerged with a victory thanks in large part to a 22-point, 18-rebound performance from Jokić.
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