LDN - Sports

Warriors coast to win in Denver

[November 11, 2016] DENVER -- Steve Kerr heard it from the fans in Denver when he rested a healthy Stephen Curry for a game two years ago.

He might hear it again after playing him Thursday night.

Curry carved up the Denver Nuggets with seven 3-pointers on his way to 33 points, and the Golden State Warriors went up big early and coasted to a 125-101 win over Denver.

Kevin Durant had 18 points and saw his streak of scoring 20 or more points end at 72 straight games. It's tied with Michael for the fourth longest in NBA history.

Durant wasn't mourning the end of the streak.

"It really didn't mean a thing for me," he said. "I think it was cool for the fans to see, but for me I was going out there and doing what I'm supposed to do. It was cool while it lasted, up there with some great names, but I have bigger goals in mind."

Curry finished with seven assists and five rebounds in just 30 minutes and Klay Thompson scored 19 points for the Warriors, who have now gone 95 regular season games without suffering consecutive losses. It's tied with Utah for the longest in NBA history.

Rookie Jamal Murray had 14 points to lead the Nuggets, who were coming off a five-game road trip and playing just their second home game in the first three weeks of the season. They had eight turnovers in the first quarter, leading to 15 points for Golden State. The Warriors shot 59 percent in the first period and 54.1 for the game.

"We cannot continue to turn the ball over 18, 19 times a game if we want to give ourselves a chance to win," Denver coach Michael Malone said.

Curry did the most damage. He was 10-for-17 from the field a night after scoring a modest 24 points in a win over Dallas.

Malone struggled to find the right combination. Rookie Juancho Hernangomez played a season-high 30 minutes and early in the fourth quarter most of his regular rotation was on the bench in favor of little-used players.

"I loved how our young guys played in the fourth quarter," Malone said. "To me the one positive I'm taking out of this was Jamal Murray, Malik Beasley, Juancho. So there were some positives at the end. But you tip your hat. We got our (butt) kicked tonight. And we have to regroup and get ready for Detroit."

Curry hit three 3-pointers in the first quarter to help the Warriors take a 38-19 lead.

Golden State extended the lead to 20 in the second quarter before the Nuggets got it down to 12 at one point. They were within 14 at halftime, but then the Curry show got rolling in the third quarter.

[to top of second column]

Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) dribbles the ball as Denver Nuggets forward Kenneth Faried (35) and guard Emmanuel Mudiay (0) defend in the third quarter at the Pepsi Center. The Warriors defeated the Nuggets 125-101. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Leading 70-54, he fed Thompson on a 3-pointer and hit a cutting Durant for a dunk to make it 77-56. Curry was then fouled on a 3-pointer and hit the free throw for a four-point play and hit another from long range to put the Warriors ahead by 25.

"I didn't expect to make it," Curry said. "I just threw it up and knew I was going to get fouled. It's one of those you don't expect to go in."

He finished the period with two more 3-pointers and assisted on two thunderous dunks by JaVale McGee to give Golden state a 99-75 lead heading into the fourth.

The only suspense left was if Durant would extend his streak. He had 14 points after three quarters and hit two of his five shots in the fourth before coming out of the game with 5:51 left.

"I'm not going to mess with the basketball gods," Kerr said. "If you're going to leave a guy out there to get some kind of record you're asking for an injury. The game called for him to come out."

NOTES: The NBA ruled that the Nuggets should have been given the ball with 0.7 seconds left in their loss at the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday night. The officials on the court ruled that G Emmanuel Mudiay touched the ball last before it went out of bounds, which gave the Grizzlies possession. They won the game, 108-107, on Marc Gasol's buzzer beater. Replays showed Mudiay never touched the ball. "We contacted the league office and (general manager) Tim Connelly and (governor) Josh Kroenke are waiting for a word back," coach Michael Malone said. "Best case scenario would be to replay the last 0.7." ... Warriors C Damian Jones (right pectoral surgery) will report to Santa Cruz of the NBA D-League on Nov. 20 and will play the 25th. If there are no setbacks, he could re-join the Warriors soon after. ... Denver F Wilson Chandler (hamstring), G Will Barton (ankle) and F Darrell Arthur (knee) were out. ... Warriors C Zaza Pachulia played in his 900th career game.

Back to top