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 Curry scored 34 points, going 8-for-16 from long range. He has made
36 3-point shots on 70 attempts -- both league highs -- and is on
pace to crush his NBA record of 272 3-pointers set last year.
"What he does is incredible," Warriors interim coach Luke Walton
said. "The range, off the dribble. The bigger the moment it seems
like the more often they go in as well. So I think he's kind of
setting the new standard of being the greatest shooter this league
has ever seen."
The Warriors point guard added 10 assists for his first
double-double of the season. He also had five rebounds.
Curry entered the game averaging an NBA high 35.8 points per game
and cracked the 30-point mark for a career-high fourth straight time
and fifth time in six games.
Curry is shooting .514 from long range, and he said he'll keep
launching 3's as long as he's making them at that clip.
"I've always believed three is better than two," Curry said. "So if
I can knock them down I'm sure it will help our team open up games.
It's kind of deflating for a defense. I know it is for us when a guy
gets hot on the other side."
The defending NBA champion Warriors improved to 6-0, their best
start since moving to the West Coast from Philadelphia. They won
their 22nd consecutive home game, an ongoing franchise record.
All five Warriors starters scored in double figures. Forward
Harrison Barnes scored 21 points, guard Klay Thompson 18, center
Festus Ezeli a career-high 16 and forward Draymond Green 12 to go
with nine rebounds and eight assists.
The Warriors had a team record 28 assists on 30 field goals in the
first half. They had 40 assists for the game.
"That's when we're at our best," Thompson said of the first half
assist total. "When we just make the simple play, share the ball,
we're almost unbeatable, especially when our defense is locked in."
Forward Danilo Gallinari scored a season-high 25 points for the
Nuggets (2-4). Forward Will Barton scored 19 points and grabbed
eight rebounds. Guard Gary Harris scored 16 points, rookie guard
Emmanuel Mudiay 13 and guard Jameer Nelson 10.
Denver cut Golden State's 30-point halftime lead to 16 points at
87-71 with 3:42 left in the third quarter. But Curry outscored the
Nuggets 12-2 over the remainder of the period, and the Warriors took
a 99-75 lead into the fourth.
"I told our guys at halftime, 'Listen, don't even worry about the
scoreboard,'" Denver coach Michael Malone said. "'Don't worry about
winning and losing. Our goal was to come out and win the second
half, win the third quarter, win the fourth quarter.
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"The effort, the way we played in the first half, yes, they are a
great team, but we came out and just let them do whatever they
wanted."
The Nuggets refused to fold in the fourth quarter. They cut Golden
State's lead to 104-91 with 7:06 left to play and trailed 107-94
with 5:32 remaining.
Thompson drilled a 3-point shot, and Barnes hit a jumper, increasing
Golden State's lead to 112-94 with 4:53 left. Nelson then scored
eight straight points for Denver, drilling a pair of shots from long
range, making it 112-102 with 3:55 to play. That's as close as the
Nuggets got.
"Effort and energy, those two things I think were the difference
between the first half and second half," Gallinari said. "We need to
do it for 48 minutes game in and game out."
The Warriors dominated the Nuggets from the outset. They bolted to a
14-4 lead, stretched their advantage to 40-23 at the end of the
first quarter and led 74-44 at halftime.
Curry had 20 points in the first half and was one of four Warriors
in double figures. Thompson had 15 points, Barnes 12 and Ezeli 10 by
halftime.
NOTES: Warriors starting C Andrew Bogut (concussion) missed his
fifth straight game, but might return as early as Saturday against
Sacramento, interim coach Luke Walton said. Bogut went through an
entire shoot-around Friday for the first time since being injured.
"There's still the contact part of the (concussion) test he said he
hasn't done," Walton said. "From my understanding, if he's feeling
good the rest of today that he could do some contact stuff tomorrow
and then either play tomorrow night or Monday." ... Nuggets starting
C Joffrey Lauvergne (lower back strain) missed his third straight
game, but coach Michael Malone said he's hopeful that he'll return
to the lineup in Denver's next game on Monday against Portland.
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