The hot start the Warriors once enjoyed has now been completely
erased. The momentum they gained is gone. After the 106-89 loss to
the Denver Nuggets on Monday, the Warriors are back to .500. They
now head into a three-game road trip trying to keep their heads
above water until starting forward David Lee returns.
OAKLAND
The hot start the Warriors once enjoyed has now been completely erased. The momentum they gained is gone.
After the 106-89 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Monday, the Warriors are back to .500. They now head into a three-game road trip trying to keep their heads above water until starting forward David Lee returns.
Golden State (7-7) has lost three straight for the first time this season, and back-to-back games at home. The Warriors are now 1-5 since Lee went down, negating their 6-2 start.
Guard Monta Ellis led the Warriors with 20 points on 7-for-22 shooting. Point guard Stephen Curry had 17 points on 8-for-21 shooting with seven rebounds and five assists. But they were no match for the star power of Denver forward Carmelo Anthony.
He finished with 39 points, nine rebounds and five assists. He was 17 for 17 from the free throw line. The Warriors attempted 16 free throws as a team.
The Nuggets played without starting point guard Chauncey Billups, who lacerated and broke his nose and sprained his right wrist on a fall in Saturday’s game. That left Anthony without his sidekick. But though the Nuggets got 19 points and eight rebounds from forward Al Harrington off the bench, Anthony didn’t seem to need much help.
He scored 11 in the fourth quarter to keep the Warriors at bay.
Golden State lost control of the game late in the third. It was tied at 61 with just over seven minutes left when a 3-pointer by Harrington put Denver ahead. The Warriors struggled to regain the lead the rest of the second half.
Curry found center Andris Biedrins open for a dunk, cutting the Nuggets’ lead to 73-71 with 1:44 left in the third. But the Warriors failed to score again in the quarter, paving the way for a 6-0 run by the Nuggets.
Denver forward Chris Andersen, making his season debut after offseason knee surgery, had his back to the basket when he was intentionally wrapped up by Curry. Flailing his arms in the air to draw the foul, the ball went soaring, banking off the glass and in. Golden State trailed 79-71 entering the fourth quarter.
The Warriors found themselves down by 12 late in the fourth quarter thanks to their infatuation with the long ball. On five consecutive possessions, the Warriors hoisted jumpers. The first four were 3-point attempts.
Meanwhile, Denver steadily attacked the basket, scoring 11 straight points on layups or free throws. A three-point play by Anthony put the Warriors down 95-83.
Warriors center Dan Gadzuric finally broke the Warriors’ drought, by knocking down an 18-footer. But the damage was already done.
The Warriors struggled with shooting, finishing at 40.2 percent, including 6 for 26 from 3-point range.
The Warriors led after the first quarter despite shooting just 33.3 percent from the field. They held Denver to the same percentage and forced five Nuggets turnovers. Six offensive rebounds didn’t hurt, either.
The Warriors offense got going in the second quarter, making 11 of 20 shots in the quarter. Small forward Rodney Carney provided a spark, scoring nine points off the bench in the quarter.
Unfortunately for the Warriors, Denver’s offense got going, shooting 55.6 percent in the second quarter. Harrington and Nuggets guard Arron Afflalo got hot from the perimeter, combining for 18 in the quarter.
Harrington knocked down all three of his attempts from deep. His first one of the quarter cut the Warriors’ lead to 31-30 inside of eight minutes left in the half. After a Carney jumper, Afflalo nailed a 3-pointer to tie the game at 33.
The teams traded baskets in the quarter, but Ellis had the final say. His pull-up 3-pointer at the buzzer sent Golden State into the locker room up 52-51.
— Story by Marcus Thompson II, Contra Costa Times
