DENVER — The Warriors put the Nuggets on the line 35 times and committed 10 second-half turnovers before they blew a late lead to Denver for their fifth straight loss.
Jonathan Kuminga (19 points) put together a strong all-around game, and the Warriors also got contributions from Moses Moody, Gary Payton II and Andrew Wiggins to earn a seven-point lead with four minutes left.
But when it was crunch time, The Joker got the last laugh.
Nikola Jokic, the three-time MVP, made every play down the stretch, helping Denver close the game out on an 11-0 run and finishing with 38 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and five steals. With 34 seconds left, he blocked Kuminga’s slashing attempt at the rim and then worked his way to the line for the game-sealing foul shots.
Steph Curry, the Warriors’ MVP counterpart, registered 24 points on 8-for-23 shooting. The Warriors scored six points in the last six minutes of the game, four of which came from Curry.
Without a full 48-minute performance, the Warriors (12-8) fell, 119-115, for their fifth consecutive loss. Tuesday being the last night of NBA Cup group stage play, the Warriors are in line to go on the road for a knockout matchup at Houston on Dec. 11.
“It was kind of a microcosm of our season when things haven’t gone our way,” Curry said after the loss. “Just trying to find go-to sets and options to put points on the board, to capitalize off a great game we played for 44 minutes. It’s tough.”
Steve Kerr was as frustrated as he’s been all season at the postgame podium, irate that none of the three officials saw Christian Braun try to call timeout with two seconds left. Braun had dove on a loose ball and appeared to signal for a timeout, which would have been a technical foul because the Nuggets had none left. Instead, it was ruled a jump ball and game over.
“Everybody saw it except for the three games we hired to do the games, and that makes me angry,” Kerr said. “That’s a technical foul, they don’t have a timeout left. We shoot a free throw, we get the ball and a chance to win the game. They all told me they didn’t see it.”
Before the game, Nuggets coach Michael Malone reminded his team that the Warriors, losers of four straight, were going to come out hungry. He was right; Golden State snacked early.
Kuminga, back in the starting lineup as Draymond Green (calf) was unavailable, scored nine points in his first eight minutes, including a double-pump dunk after slipping a ball screen.
To keep either Curry or Brandin Podziemski — or both — on the court at all times, Steve Kerr subbed out Curry first after five minutes. Although Kerr’s intended rotational tweaks will have to wait for Green to return, he trimmed his game plan to feature 10 players. Curry started and finished each quarter instead of his traditional subbing pattern.
“When you lose, you’ve got to experiment and try different things,” Curry said.
Curry blew by Russell Westbrook for a finger roll before the first-quarter horn, making it 33-31. He added four assists in the opening frame, which featured hot, 5-for-9 3-point shooting from Denver — including three makes from Aaron Gordon and another from Westbrook.
Without Green, the Warriors threw a variety of looks at Nikola Jokic in an effort to try to make him a passer. One play, they sent Andrew Wiggins to the block to double team, and Buddy Hield, the weak-side defender, anticipated his cross-court pass for a steal.
Golden State opened the second quarter on a 23-9 run, turning defensive stops into fast breaks. Their ball movement was beautiful, with Kuminga turning down two decent looks on one possession and displaying patience as Curry relocated into the corner before finding him for a 3. The Warriors assisted on 18 of their first 20 makes, with only one turnover.
But then the Nuggets — who have struggled defensively recently — started to turn the Warriors over, resulting in a 15-3 Denver run. Podziemski fouled Michael Porter Jr. on a 3-point shot, a mistake he repeated late in the fourth quarter.
More important than stifling the unstoppable Jokic, the Warriors dominated while the three-time MVP sat. By winning those minutes by 11, the Warriors came out of the halftime break in a tie game.
The Warriors played with the kind of force and energy Kerr has been seeking for the past two weeks. Podziemski dove on the court for a loose ball, igniting a fast break that resulted in an easy Kuminga layup.
Even as Jokic, who averages 38 minutes per game, played the entire third quarter, the Warriors kept the game close. Kevon Looney played him tough in the post and Moody provided a nice burst at the end of the quarter off the bench, finding a cutting Payton for an assist and burying a baseline fadeaway.
But without Green, and as the turnover bug came for Curry, Golden State had trouble guarding the 3-point line. A 33-point third for Denver put the Nuggets up 90-85 entering the fourth.
Denver opened the fourth with Jokic sitting, giving the Warriors a window to make a run. Like clockwork, Golden State outscored Denver 10-2 in three minutes, a blitz punctuated by a Trayce Jackson-Davis transition slam.
When Jokic returned, the Warriors led 95-92. Three-pointers from Curry and Payton stretched the edge to seven with 7:50 left, and a Moody 3 made it 104-94 as Curry hit the bench for his scheduled rest. Eight fourth-quarter points from Moody helped them survive as Curry sat.
Upon his return, Curry found Kuminga for a dunk, then Kuminga nearly drew a charge against Jokic. Instead, replay review overturned the effort into an and-1, shaving Golden State’s advantage to five with 4:22 remaining.
From there, though, it was all Jokic. As the Warriors’ offense stalled, the center found Gordon for a dunk and hit a baby hook. When Looney fouled out with 1:48 left, the Warriors led 115-111, their ninth clutch game in the past 10 contests.
Jokic tied the game with a jumper over Curry, who was expecting a switch when the center picked up his dribble. Then he iced the game with a pair of free throws, keeling over with his hands on his knees after a 40-minute night. In a four-point win, the Nuggets won Jokic’s minutes by 23.
Had the officials correctly called the Braun play, the Warriors would’ve had a chance to tie the game. Instead, they didn’t get the ball back.
“With that said, that’s not why we lost,” Kerr said. “We lost because didn’t close again,” Kerr said.
