What we learned when Warriors led late, lost to Nuggets was originally published on NBC Sports Bay Area
The Warriors came so close to ending a two-game losing streak Tuesday night and moving one step closer to opening the NBA Cup at the Chase Center.
But the Denver Nuggets erased an 11-point deficit in the final 6:01 — and a seven-point deficit in the final 2:30 — to send the Warriors out of Ball Arena with a 119-115 loss, their fifth straight. this season and eighth straight against the Nuggets.
With the loss, the Warriors dropped to No. 3 in the Western Conference NBA Cup standings and will travel to Houston to face the Rockets in the quarterfinals on Wednesday, December 11 at 6:30 PM PT.
Six Warriors scored in double figures, led by Stephen Curry’s 24 points. Andrew Wiggins, Brandin Podziemski and Moses Moody all finished with 13, while Gary Payton II had a season-high 11.
The loss sends the Warriors (12-8) to Houston to face the Rockets next week in the NBA Cup quarterfinals on Dec. 10 or 11.
Here are three takeaways from another loss after Golden State’s late-game fade:
Another failure at the end of the stretch
Draymond Green, with a tender left calf, was benched in street clothes and Curry shot 8 of 23 from the field. The team’s decorated vets needed help.
Enter a bench that has lost a lot of its swag of late. They found it in the third and fourth quarters. With the Nuggets running a relay race to the foul line and trying to put the Warriors away, the bench gave them a chance.
It wasn’t enough, though, as the Warriors fell apart in the final 6:01. They missed 10 of their last 13 shots, turned it over twice and sent the Nuggets to the free throw line nine times.
Meanwhile, three-time NBA player Nikola Jokić scored 15 of his game-high 38 points in the fourth quarter, including nine in the final 4:22.
Kuminga shines in the starting line-up
After going a full month between starts, Kuminga was in the starting lineup for the second time in three games. It was partly Kerr’s ongoing starting five experiment, but mostly the absence of Draymond Green.
Kuminga capitalized on the opportunity from the opening tip. He scored nine points in the first six minutes, finished the half with 13 in 17 minutes — and was the only starter without a turnover.
Most impressive was Kuming’s measured approach to attack. He showed a higher level of vision than usual, leading to productive passes. He was selectively assertive in finding his own shot and the result was the efficiency the Warriors wanted to see. His decision-making, often a weakness, was solid.
He finished with 19 points on 9-of-18 shooting from the field, adding five rebounds and two assists. He didn’t commit any turnovers in 29 minutes.
Although there were some glaring defensive mistakes, this was JK’s cleanest and perhaps most complete offensive game this season.
Moody mood
Three nights after playing a season-low three minutes in the loss in Phoenix, Moody returned and proved his resolve remains high. He lit the biggest fires during the second half, which put the Warriors in position to win.
After missing his first four shots, Moody entered with 5:02 left in the third quarter and got three key buckets to keep the Warriors close. To further illustrate his effectiveness, Moody scored 13 points in 13 second-half minutes between the end of the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth.
Moody played 20 minutes, his third-highest total this season. He scored his 13 points on 4-of-10 shooting from the field, including 2-of-6 from beyond the arc. He also added two rebounds, one assist and one steal.
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