SAN FRANCISCO – Playing their third game in three different cities in four nights, and the Warriors’ first home game in two weeks, every player was tired after Golden State’s 118-104 victory over the Nuggets at Chase Center on Friday night.
Even Draymond Green.
“I just want to go home. Relax, go to sleep. I’m tired,” Green said.
Green had every right to be exhausted after a game that saw Golden State (46-31) remain in the fifth seed and avoid the dreaded play-in slot.
Aside from the grueling schedule that saw the Warriors play the second night of a back-to-back after finishing a six-game, two–week road trip with one of West’s top teams, Green had just finished battling with MVP candidate Nikola Jokic.
“He’s tough to guard after five days off,” Green said. “A lot tougher to guard on a back-to-back where he’s sitting in San Francisco waiting on us to get back.”
Jokic put up 33 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists on 13-of-17 shooting, but Golden State held his team to well below its 120 point per game average.
The Warriors also held Denver to its lowest point total since they put up just 95 points in a March 12 loss to Minnesota, and tied for its seventh-lowest output of the season. Golden State also forced 25 turnovers.
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So how did the Warriors slow down up-tempo Denver and Jokic after giving up a 44-point quarter?
“He had a great first half, we changed some things, try to send some bodies and we were flying around on defense,” Steph Curry said after scoring a game-high 36. He’s a great player and he still got his numbers, but I think we tried to make him work.”
The Warriors mixed it up to keep Jokic off-balance.
The Warriors threw a zone look at the Nuggets center – who is averaging a 29.7-point triple double this season – in the second quarter.
“Jokic is the best player in the world,” said Kerr, who pregame compared the Serbian big man to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. “I’ve never seen anybody like him, and you have to try to change up some things a little bit. We just tried to throw a little something different in that second quarter after what he did in the first.“
The Warriors threw a number of bodies at Jokic. Green and forward Gui Santos each got a crack at Jokic, but the most effective defender ended up being the dependable Kevon Looney.
In 18 minutes of playing time, Looney scored seven points and seven rebounds, but his greatest contribution could not be counted.
The veteran center battled with Jokic in the second half, walling up in single-coverage and not allowing Jokic to draw fouls (just three free throws attempted). Those possessions may not have shown up in a box score, but they were appreciated by his teammates.
“Everything that Loon does usually doesn’t show up in the stat sheet,” said Gary Payton II, who returned to the lineup after missing four games with a thumb injury. “But Loon is one of the essential pieces of the motor that keeps this team going at the highest level.”
Playing at the highest level is something Golden State is proving it can do, having won its fifth game in a row, the last three to Western Conference playoff teams seeded above them.
With Golden State only turning the ball over 13 times against the Nuggets, the Warriors have shown they know the formula for beating Denver should the teams match up in the postseason.
“Taking care of the ball allows us to set our defense … and we’re a pretty good defense when we’re set,” Green said.
