Chris Paul put a perfectly placed bounce pass out in front of Klay Thompson, with no one between he and the basket as the Golden State Warriors trailed by three with time running out. For a moment, it appeared the second-best shooter ever would get the chance to send his shorthanded team to overtime against the defending champions as the final buzzer sounded.
But the Warriors' hopes were finally dashed for good when Thompson couldn't quite secure the ball and set his feet to launch, allowing the Denver Nuggets to escape Pepsi Center with a hard-earned 108-105 victory on Wednesday night at Pepsi Center.
Teams like Golden State don't play for moral victories. The Dubs have been one of the best teams in basketball over the first two weeks of the regular season, fully capable of taking down the Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets at home to end a four-game road trip.
Considering both Draymond Green and Gary Payton II missed Wednesday's game and Warriors not named Stephen Curry combined to shoot 5-of-22 from beyond the arc, though, it wasn't hard for Steve Kerr to find a silver lining in his team's performance.
“Down a couple key guys, playing the defending champs on the road at the end of a long trip, it was a hell of a fight,” he said. “Our guys really competed and gave themselves a chance to win. Tough way to finish, but I couldn't be more proud of 'em and more excited about our team.”
Stephen Curry, Warriors' team-wide fight not enough vs. Nuggets
Making Golden State's hard-fought effort especially notable is that it came with Curry looking human…for part of the game, at least. He went scoreless in the first quarter, hounded all over the floor by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and giving his teammates numbers advantages behind the play when Denver put two on the ball. It was only a matter of time until Curry got going, of course, but even then he wasn't quite at his early-season best.
Curry finished with 23 points, five rebounds four assists and three turnovers on 6-of-17 shooting, all but four of those attempts coming from deep. He failed to score inside the arc for the first time this season, Curry's most notable two-point miss coming on a long lefty finger roll as the Dubs trailed by a bucket with just over 10 seconds remaining.
You can't ask for a better shot with the game on the line. Kerr deserves credit for flattening the floor and letting Curry attack one-on-one, too, just like he did in game-winning fashion against the Oklahoma City Thunder to begin the road trip last Friday.
It's a major testament to Golden State's much-improved depth that the team competed with Denver until the final seconds despite missing its two best defenders on a night Curry and his fellow scorers didn't shoot well.
Andrew Wiggins finally began shaking off major rust in the second half, but played with athletic verve and noticeable intensity throughout Wednesday's game. Moses Moody, especially, and Jonathan Kuminga had more eye-opening moments off the bench, helping the Dubs get a lead in the third quarter with Curry sitting. Thompson put together a few impressive isolation possessions, and Paul was once again in the plus-minus green.
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Even Trayce Jackson-Davis and Brandin Podziemski acquitted themselves well when pressed into action versus the champs. Kerr insisted after the game he has confidence to play both rookies whenever the circumstances call for it going forward, and rightfully so.
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It bears mentioning that Denver wasn't whole, either. Jamal Murray will remained sidelined through the end of November by a hamstring injury, leaving the Nuggets without their other star playmaker behind Jokic. His absence loomed especially large when Michael Malone went to his bench, surrounding the reigning Finals MVP with young reserves who struggled to hit open shots and exploit defensive rotations created by attention paid to Jokic.
But Denver is an extremely tough out regardless, enjoying a two-way leap from Michael Porter Jr. and solid play from backup point guard Reggie Jackson. The Nuggets are undefeated at home this season, their previous victories at mile high altitude coming by more than 14 points per game.
Golden State is no doubt frustrated by ending the road trip with a loss. A 3-1 trip is certainly preferable to 2-2. With the chance for overtime literally slipping through their grasp and six straight games coming at home, though, the 6-3 Warriors still have ample reason for optimism. Springing even more? The Dubs get the opportunity to avenge Sunday's loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday at Chase Center.
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