What we learned when Warriors took a late lead and lost to Nuggets originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
The Warriors came so close to ending two losing streaks and one step closer to opening the NBA Cup at Chase Center on Tuesday night.
But the Denver Nuggets erased an 11-point deficit in the final 6:01 — and a seven-point deficit in the final 2:30 — to send the Warriors out of Ball Arena with a 119-115 loss, their fifth in a competition. row this season and eighth in a row against the Nuggets.
The loss dropped the Warriors to third place in the Western Conference NBA Cup standings and will travel to Houston to face the Rockets in the quarterfinals on Wednesday, December 11 at 6:30 PM PT.
Six Warriors scored in double figures, led by Stephen Curry’s 24 points. Andrew Wiggins, Brandin Podziemski and Moses Moody each finished with 13, while Gary Payton II had a season-high 11.
The loss sends the Warriors (12-8) to Houston to face the Rockets next week in the NBA Cup quarterfinals on Dec. 10 or 11.
Here are three observations from another loss after a late-game fade by Golden State:
Another failure along the way
Draymond Green, with a tender left calf, sat on the bench in street clothes and Curry shot 8 of 23 from the field. The team’s decorated vets needed help.
Enter the bank, which had lost a lot of its swag lately. They found it in the third and fourth quarters. As the Nuggets relay raced to the foul line and tried to put the Warriors away, the bench gave them a chance.
It wasn’t enough, however, as the Warriors broke up in the final 6:01. They missed 10 of their last 13 shots, committed two turnovers and sent the Nuggets to the free-throw line nine times.
Meanwhile, three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokić scored 15 of his game-high 38 points in the fourth quarter, including nine in the final 4:22.
Kuminga shines in the starting line-up
After going a full month between starts, Kuminga was in the opening lineup for the second time in three games. This was partly about Kerr’s continued experimentation with the starting five, but mostly about Draymond Green’s absence.
Kuminga took advantage of the opportunity from the opening tip. He scored nine points in the first six minutes and finished the half with 13 in 17 minutes – and was the only starter not to commit a turnover.
Most impressive was Kuminga’s measured attacking approach. He showed a higher than normal level of floor vision, which led to productive passing. He was selectively assertive in finding his own opportunity and the result was the kind of efficiency the Warriors wanted to see. His decision making, often a weakness, was solid.
He finished with 19 points on 9-of-18 shooting from the field, and added five rebounds and two assists. He didn’t commit a turnover in 29 minutes.
While there were a few visible defensive lapses, this was JK’s cleanest and perhaps most complete offensive game this season.
Moody’s mood
Three nights after playing a season-low three minutes in a loss at Phoenix, Moody returned and proved his resolve remains high. He lit the biggest fires during the second half that put the Warriors in position to win.
After missing his first four shots, Moody came in with 5:02 left in the third quarter and got three crucial buckets to keep the Warriors close. To further illustrate his effectiveness, Moody scored 13 points in 13 minutes in the second half between the end of the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth.
Moody played 20 minutes, his third-highest total this season. He scored his 13 points on 4-of-10 shooting from the field, including 2-of-6 from beyond the arc. He added two rebounds, one assist and one steal.
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