The Denver Nuggets (15-24) beat the Golden State Warriors (36-3) 112-110 on Wednesday night.
This is the fourth time that these teams have squared off with all four being close. In the most recent one, the Nuggets lost a heartbreaker in overtime, but prevailed here. What won it for Denver was their rebounding, as they grabbed 49 rebounds to the Warriors 39. The Nuggets were also fantastic from the free-throw line, as they went 33-for-37 with some clutch throws down the stretch. Steph Curry went bananas in the fourth quarter to nearly cap off a big comeback, but they fell just short.
Golden State has been the best team in the NBA this season, but this was the first time they played without playmaker Draymond Green. The defense is what suffered most without Green, as they allowed 112 points in the loss. Curry was in his MVP form, as he scored 20 fourth quarter points en route to a 38 point-nine assist line. Harrison Barnes had his best game since returning from injury, as he finished with 18 points off the bench. Andrew Bogut has been struggling all season, but he played well here, finishing with 15 points, seven rebounds, and three blocks in the loss. Luckily for Golden State, they get a date against the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday in their next game.
Denver has been struggling at home all season, but easily got their biggest win of the year here. It was an all-around team effort, as four different players scored at least 18 points. Those players included Danilo Gallinari, Will Barton, Gary Harris and Darrell Arthur. Gallinari has been averaging over 25 points a game since his return from injury and he was huge here, as he finished the game with 28 points in the win. Denver has now played the Warriors four times this season and all four games came down to the fourth quarter. It's a strange occurrence, but it shows the talent that this young teams has. The Nuggets will host the Miami Heat on Friday in their next scheduled game.
