The Warriors on Sunday couldn’t take advantage of an opportunity they didn’t know existed until shortly before tipoff in Denver.
Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, the reigning two-time NBA MVP, was declared out, tilting conditions toward the Warriors – who squandered it in a 112-110 loss at Ball Arena.
The Warriors, trailing by 12 late in the fourth quarter, outscored the Nuggets 12-2 over the final 3:22 and had a chance to win the game in the final seconds, but Klay Thompson missed an open 3-pointer and had a second shot blocked at the buzzer by Jamal Murray.
The Warriors (41-38) drop from fifth place to sixth in the Western Conference and no longer can guarantee avoiding the play-in tournament by winning their remaining three games.
Four Warriors scored in double figures, led by Thompson’s 25 points, followed by 21 points from Stephen Curry. Golden State shot a dismal 40 percent from the field, including an abysmal 21.4 percent from deep.
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Here are three observations from a loss that could haunt the Warriors, who led by as much as 15 points, over the final week of the season:
Second half meltdown
The Warriors, who practically patented the concept of the third quarter, got a taste of their own cooking. It did not go down easily.
And it only got worse in the fourth quarter.
After entering the second half with a 61-58 lead and pushing to eight (71-63) with 8:40 left in the quarter, the Warriors went colder than Greenland in January. Missing nine of 10 shots during one stretch, they were outscored 26-16 over the remainder of the quarter.
That was enough to swing the game toward the Nuggets who, to their credit, amped up the defense.
After losing the third quarter 31-26 and facing a two-point deficit entering the fourth, the Warriors came undone. After a Curry 3-ball pulled them within one (91-90) in the first minute of the quarter, Denver went on a 16-6 run to take command.
Rough night for Splash Brothers
In times of trouble and strife, the Warriors have been known to turn to Curry to save them. And on those occasions when he doesn’t have his best stuff, Thompson often comes through.
Neither had much of anything on this night, combining for 30.4 percent shooting from the field including 23.3 percent beyond the arc.
Curry didn’t make his first 3-pointer until the third quarter and ended up shooting 8 of 28 from the field, including 2 of 14 from distance. He was minus-5 over 37 minutes. He had four assists, three rebounds and two blocks.
Thompson drained a couple triples in the opening minutes, but fell off dramatically afterward. He shot 3-of-6 (2-of-3 from deep) in the first quarter, but was 6-of-22, including 3-of-13 from deep over the final three quarters. He contributed five rebounds and four assists.
Klay had two chances for a possible game-winner inside the final seconds, missing an open look from deep on his first attempt before another shot under duress was partially blocked.
A longtime plea is answered
The Warriors have moaned about it and their fans have groaned even louder, pleading for an end to the habit of drowsy first quarters, particularly on the road.
Finally, the pleas were answered.
The Warriors owned the first 12 minutes, taking leads of 16-8 and 27-19 before finishing the quarter with a 36-26 advantage. This was only the second time in two months – since Feb. 2 at Denver – that they took a lead into the second quarter on the road.
The defense was OK, but the overall effort and execution that stood out. The Warriors had balanced scoring, outrebounded the bigger Nuggets 16-8 and earned a 7-2 edge in second-chance points.
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As impressive, Golden State committed only one turnover, and it did not lead to a Denver score.
This doesn’t necessarily indicate a bad habit broken, but a change from the routine must start somewhere.