On Thursday night in Denver, the first quarter set the tone for the rest of the contest between the Nuggets and Warriors. Paul Millsap, JaMychal Green and Jamal Murray led a 37-24 first-quarter stretch, setting up the Nuggets for the rest of the game.
Although the Warriors made runs to cut into Denver’s lead behind Steph Curry and James Wiseman, sloppy defense and untimely turnovers torched any chances of a Golden State comeback on Friday.
Each time the Warriors attempted to cut Denver’s advantage to around the 10-point mark, Nikola Jokic took over. The two-time All-Star controlled the pace of the game while racking up a triple-double at 23 points on 8-of-16 shooting from the field with 14 rebounds and 10 assists. Jokic added three steals in 23 minutes against the Warriors.
After falling to the Nuggets, 114-104, the Golden State Warriors schedule doesn’t get any easier. Following three days without a game due to the league postponing Friday’s contest in Phoenix, the Warriors will travel to Staples Center on Monday for a matchup with the defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers.