Before the wheels came off, the Golden State Warriors were close to enjoying a good road trip. Then they lost on Thursday night against the Denver Nuggets after losing on Wednesday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

 

Due to Klay Thompson’s rest day and Draymond Green’s late withdrawal due to hamstring soreness, Golden State got off to a slow start.

 

Nevertheless, the Warriors maintained a close relationship with the Nuggets, the best club in the Western Conference. Steph Curry had a strong start for the Warriors, and they quickly built a 13-6 lead, forcing Denver to take a timeout. Starting in Green’s place, Jonathan Kuminga had a solid first quarter as the Warriors built up a comfortable lead before a Denver comeback put the score one point after one.

 

The shorthanded Warriors resorted to James Wiseman and JaMychal Green, two players who hadn’t seen any action in the second quarter. Both at once! Wiseman had some good time, and the Warriors held Denver at bay, trailing by just one score at halftime.

 

But in the third quarter, catastrophe struck. After more back-and-forth, the score was tied at 85 until Denver went on a 16-0 run, helped by another outstanding performance from Nikola Joki. The Dubs’ inability to get back into it was evident even before the quarter ended.

 

That was the game, then. The Warriors flirted with bringing the score down to one in the fourth quarter because of some brilliant play from Curry and aggressive play from Jordan Poole, but they never truly got back in it. Denver eventually increased its lead, Steve Kerr threw in the towel, and the Warriors were defeated 134-117.

 

With 28 points, five rebounds, five assists, shooting 10-for-17 from the field and 5-for-10 from three-point range, Curry led the way but also committed six turnovers. Poole contributed another 22 points, had six assists, and made 4-of-8 threes.

 

Donte DiVincenzo scored 14 points on 5-for-7 shooting, and Kuminga contributed 17 points on 7-for-9 shooting in their respective roles. Wiseman scored nine points in his first game since December on three-for-four shooting.

 

The Warriors didn’t use Anthony Lamb since they kept one of his dual days.

 

The next game for Golden State is on Friday at home against the Dallas Mavericks.a