Wednesday night’s game at the Chase Center served as a perfect microcosm of the season so far for the Warriors. They cruised through the first half, hit some bumps in the second half and then collapsed in the waning moments.
Despite leading by as many as 16 with less than six minutes left in the third quarter, the Warriors suffered a 117-116 loss to the Denver Nuggets as Monte Morris knocked down a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to end the game. Golden State has now lost four of its last five but heads into the All-Star break with the NBA’s second-best record at 42-17.
“I just told the guys to enjoy the All-Star break and get some fresh air,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “We’ve had a hell of a run to be where we are right now at 42-17.”
Nervous energy started filling the building in the third quarter as the Nuggets mounted their comeback. Eventually they clawed back to take their first lead of the entire game with 14.9 seconds left. Steph Curry answered on the other end with an electrifying and-one conversion with 5.9 seconds remaining, but the Warriors left too much time on the clock.
Reigning MVP Nikola Jokic bullied the Warriors all night en route to 35 points, 17 rebounds and eight assists. On the game’s final possession, Steph Curry dropped into the paint to help double Jokic, but the talented big man took advantage of Morris’ spacing on the perimeter and dished him an assist before the dagger.
“I took the bait,” Curry said. “Made a dumb read. I was a step late, thinking the clock had run down enough where it was his only opportunity to shoot and he made a great pass. Then I realized where I was and tried to make a play on the ball and contest the shot but Monte made a clutch bucket and I gave it to him. The last thing you can do in that situation is give up a three. I did that.”
Curry said he wanted to finish the ‘first half’ of the season on a high note but he’ll be able to brood about this loss until next week. Golden State returns to action on Feb. 24 against the Portland Trail Blazers.
When they pick up the pieces again next week, the Warriors will find themselves ramping up for the playoff push, as only 23 games will remain.
So, how should we look at this campaign so far? Considering Las Vegas oddsmakers pegged the Warriors’ preseason over/under for total wins at 48.5, it's safe to say they’ve exceeded expectations. The team’s shoddy defense during the recent slump is a concern, but the Warriors have put themselves in a solid position to finish in the top three in the Western Conference.
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Forget the recent struggles and take a bird’s eye view of what’s transpired since opening night:
Klay Thompson is back and returning to vintage form. Andrew Wiggins is an All-Star starter. Steph endured a January slump but he’s still Steph. Jonathan Kuminga has the potential to play like a superstar on any given night. Jordan Poole can be an almost unfair sixth-man substitution. Draymond Green and James Wiseman could rejoin the team in just weeks.
For a franchise that missed the playoffs the past two seasons, it’s not outlandish to think about this dynasty extending its reign with another championship in June.
To think this season opened up with so many question marks and now we’re talking about titles. It’s all about framing.
“One good win the last five,” Curry said. “I choose to say we’ve won 10 out of the last 14.”
