DENVER -- The Warriors took their first loss of the season Sunday night, building an early 12-point lead before falling behind by 13 and roaring back to make it tight in the final minutes.
For their spirited work down the stretch, they still walked out of Pepsi Center with a 100-98 loss to the Denver Nuggets.
Here are two positives and two negatives culled from the Warriors' narrow defeat:
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POSITIVES
Iguodala returns
After missing most of the previous two games due to tightness in his left calf, Andre Iguodala returned and played 26 minutes of mostly good basketball.
He totaled 4 points, three rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block. He was minus-5 for his effort.
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The most encouraging moments came in the first and fourth quarters, with Iguodala soaring in for dunks to punctuate fast breaks. The latter came with 1:29 remaining, tying the game at 97-97 and lifting spirits on the bench.
Igoudala said he probably could have played Friday night in Utah, but the Warriors opted for caution and gave him two more days. There was a bit of rust, most visible on the kind of silly fouls he usually avoids. But he was in the finishing lineup, and that’s when he’s needed most.
Looney’s perfect game
Kevon Looney came off the bench, submitted 19 minutes and was minus-8 for his evening. It was an imperfect performance by most means.
Not by shooting, though. Looney made all four of field-goal attempts and both of his free throws. He did not miss. He finished with 10 points, adding six rebounds and two blocks.
Looney is now 11-of-18 from the field (61.1 percent) and his 6.0 rebounds per game ranks third on the team, behind Kevin Durant (9.3) and Draymond Green (8.7).
NEGATIVES
Curry getting lonely beyond arc
The Warriors were 7-of-26 from beyond the arc, with Curry accounting for six of the makes. This is starting to have a familiar feel.
Curry has made 16 3-pointers this season, 5.3 a game, roughly the amount he averaged in setting an NBA record in 2015-16, when he dropped in 402. So that’s fairly normal.
What’s not normal is that his teammates have combined for a total of eight. Klay Thompson and Jonas Jerebko have two apiece, with the other four being scattered among Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, Quinn Cook and Alfonzo McKinnie.
Thompson splashed one on Sunday and now is 2-of-16 from deep. Durant was 0-of-4 and is 1-of-10. This will change, of course, but it’s an ugly start.
“That number surprised me,” Curry said on Sunday. “I’m not worried about it. Klay and KD will get it going. Draymond will get it going, in terms of the looks he gets. The rotation guys, whether it’s Andre or Jonas or Quinn or Alfonzo ... will get that going.
“Everybody’s got to keep shooting. And that’s what we’re going to do."
Oh, those turnovers
The Warriors gave -- it’s the right word -- the Nuggets 19 points. That’s how many Denver scored off 19 turnovers committed by the defending champs.
That brings the season total to 56, or 18.7 per game, putting the Warriors in the bottom five in the league. Everybody is aware of it; it’s Kerr’s pet peeve. But so far, it hasn’t been rectified.
The four All-Stars accounted for 12 of the giveaways, with Durant leading the pack with four. Green committed three, bringing his season total to 14. Curry is second with 11.
The worst part is that all these turnovers are coming without the constant offensive motion that has defined them under Kerr. If anything, the turnovers are a by-product of the team playing outside its identity.