The Golden State Warriors clowned the Denver Nuggets again on Monday night, taking home a 126-106 victory to go up 2-0 in the first-round series. While the Warriors struggled to start the game with Stephen Curry coming off the bench again, they turned up the jets late in the second quarter and then blew the game wide open with a 44-point third quarter.

 

A 12-point Nuggets lead with just over seven minutes to play in the second quarter turned into a 20-point Warriors lead by the end of the third. Over that span of 19-plus minutes, Golden State scored a whopping 70 points. This truly looked like something out of the peak dynasty era.

While things could change with the series shifting to Denver, it's hard to see how the Nuggets will be able to keep up with this Warriors team unless they lay an egg. With that in mind, here's why Golden State looks primed to sweep away Nikola Jokic and company.

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Why Warriors will sweep Nuggets

Stephen Curry looks back

Curry was relatively quiet in his return to the lineup in Game 1, going for 16 points on 5-of-13 shooting and 3-of-6 from 3-point range in 22 minutes. He also handed out four assists and grabbed three rebounds. Still, just his mere presence was huge for the Warriors, as they outscored the Nuggets by 17 points in his time on the floor in a 16-point victory.

Monday night brought both the big numbers and the big impact. Curry once again came off the bench and only played 23 minutes. This time, though, he went for 34 points on 12-of-17 from the field and 5-of-10 from 3-point range. He handed out four assists and grabbed three rebounds for the second straight game.

And that plus/minus?

This time the Warriors outscored the Nuggets by a ridiculous 32 points in Curry's 23 minutes, making him plus-49 for the series in 45 minutes. Denver has no answer for Curry, especially when he's cooking like he was in Game 2. And you know the Chef is cooking when he's pulling out the shimmy:

The craziest thing is Curry said after the game he's still feeling a bit of discomfort in his left foot. You wouldn't have figured that given how he looked out on the floor on Monday night. Maybe things will look a bit different in Denver after traveling, but Curry seems mostly healthy and ready to dominate these playoffs, whether he starts or comes off the bench as the best sixth man ever.

The new Death Lineup is unstoppable

Everybody is trying to figure out a nickname for the Warriors' new version of the Death Lineup. This iteration features Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins. Whatever the name, it's absolutely destroying Denver.

After outscoring the Nuggets by 14 points in just under five minutes with that group in Game 1, this Warriors lineup did it again in Game 2. Just like Game 1, they shifted the tide in the second quarter, playing a key role in a 16-0 run that officially began Golden State's onslaught.

This unit ultimately finished Game 2 a plus-15 in about six minutes, making them a plus-29 in just 11 minutes of action so far in this series:

It's so hard to stop this group given the shooting and passing skill out on the floor, especially with Poole really coming into this own (29 more points), and then there's Draymond Green in the middle to anchor it all on the defensive end. It will be tough for any team to defend this unit, but it's especially difficult for this Nuggets team that simply doesn't have the personnel to make things difficult for them.

At this point, Denver has to play hard and pray for misses, because that's about the only way Michael Malone's crew is going to get stops against them.

The Nuggets are imploding

Frustration seeped in for the Nuggets during Game 2. Jokic picked up two technical fouls and got ejected in the fourth quarter as he continues to have his issues going up against the physical play of Green. While Jokic had 26/11/4, he shot just 9-of-20, was 0-of-4 from 3-point range and was a game-worst minus-26. It's clear Green is getting in Jokic's head a bit, and he's also frustrated because he's getting no help from his teammates.

Then there was the bench squabble between DeMarcus Cousins and Will Barton, which was caught on camera for everybody to see:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFajWZ92IAA

Malone was asked about it in his postgame press conference and did his best to defuse the situation, but it's clear just how much frustration is running amok right now for this team. They don't have any answers, and the absences of Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. are hurting. Of course, having those guys might not help all that much against the Warriors' offensive onslaught.

The Nuggets have to hope the comfort of their own home will help turn things around in the next two games. But the way things are looking right now, nobody would be surprised if the Warriors sweep them away easily.