Warriors Game Day: Sights & Sounds From #WarriorsGround – Golden State Blows 20-Point Lead, Fails To Clinch (Photo: @skate82 Instagram account)
ORACLE ARENA, OAKLAND, CA — The Golden State Warriors blew a chance to clinch a playoff spot in front of their home crowd at #Roaracle, squandering a great early start that led to a 20-point lead in the first quarter, eventually losing, 100-99, to the Denver Nuggets.
PRE-GAME
The day started at morning shootaround where Stephen Curry took the opportunity to, once more, praise Mark Jackson.
“Sometimes you look at him like, ‘Did he really say that?’,” Curry said, “Like what he said about me and Klay (Thompson) being the best shooting backcourt, what he says about Draymond (Green) and what he brings to the team and not many people have noticed before. He knows how to just pump you up and get you confident, and it’s not fake, either.”
Meanwhile, the injured David Lee, out with nerve inflammation, did some posting up.
At #Roaracle, it was #SplashBrothers Night. The first 10,000 fans would get a #SplashBros cheer card (not pictured). Especially after the blowout win of the Utah Jazz in which the Splash Brothers combined for 64 points, #DubNation was in anticipation of tonight’s matchup. At pregame shootaround, Curry practiced left-handed running flick shots from the free throw line, and was generally envisioning clinching in front of the home crowd.
As Warriors fans enjoyed their free foam fingers, water filter, and poncho (!), the Warriors ran onto the court expecting to win, especially after taking care of business against the last two non-playoff-bound opponents.
IN-GAME
Owner Joe Lacob was spotted in the crowd. His Warriors were clicking coming out of the gate, with a 20-13 over the Nuggets with 2:52 to go in the opening frame. Thompson started out well with 9 points, while Andrew Bogut supplied 4 rebounds, and Andre Iguodala a marvelous “ankle-breaking” play against Quincy Miller. It was Warriors 28, Nuggets 15 at the end of the first quarter, capped by another Jordan Crawford buzzer-beater.
With 2:57 to go in the first half, the Warriors still led, 47-38. Thompson had 12 points and the “Bench Mob” held serve, combining for 20 points. The Dubs took a 53-43 lead into halftime with Thompson at 14 points, Bogut with 6 rebounds, and the bench contributing a robust 22 points in not squandering the lead.
The Warriors still led by seven well into the third quarter. With 5:49 to go, it was Warriors 65, Nuggets 58. Thompson was up to 19 points by this time, but the tide was turning as Kenneth Faried had a monster alley oop, drawing oohs and ahhs from the crowd. Faried had 13 points and 13 rebounds, while Timofey Mozgov was beasting with 13 points and a whopping 17 rebounds. The trend would, unfortunately, continue.
The Nuggets tied it up, 80-80, with 8:26 to go in the fourth quarter. The bench had lost the lead and the starters were in danger of losing it. Mozgov was up to 21 points and 24 rebounds by this point.
With 5:53 to go, it was Nuggets 90, Warriors 85. Things were not looking good, but a favorable call on Jan Vesely, which fouled him out of the game, on a Bogut offensive rebound changed the momentum toward the Warriors.
After a few defensive stops and transition buckets, countered with timely clutch jumpers by the Nuggets, the Warriors found themselves down 98-95 with just 42.5 seconds remaining.
Curry drove in to sink a clutch shot, but Faried answered, hitting the game-winner with 0.5 seconds left on the clock to win the game. However, did Faried walk? You be the judge!
Although the last-second heroics by Curry were impressive, the Warriors putting themselves in that position after being up by 20 was not. The final score was Nuggets 100, #Warriors 99. Curry tallied 24 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists and Thompson totaled 21 points, but Mozgov finished with 23 points and a staggering 29 rebounds. The Warriors were outrebounded as a team, 63-38.
POST-GAME
After the game, coach Jackson used the San Antonio Spurs, who beat the Dallas Mavericks tonight, as a benchmark: “It’s a mentality. They didn’t just get it overnight and that’s the next step for us.”
A semi-despondent Curry admitted that he thought the Warriors would clinch. “I wouldn’t call it a setback,” Curry said, “but not how we envisioned the night going.”
“It would be very misleading to us to win that basketball game when you get outrebounded like that,” Green said. Earlier, he also was disgusted with his own mere 2 rebounds.
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