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Warriors vs. Nuggets Preview

Associated Press

Owners of the NBA's best record, the Golden State Warriors are trying to maintain their focus.

They likely can't afford to overlook a Denver Nuggets team that just stunned the Eastern Conference leaders.
Golden State goes for a sixth consecutive win and third in a row over the Nuggets on Friday night at Pepsi Center.

The Warriors (51-12) are 10 games in front of theLos Angeles Clippers for the Pacific Division lead and a handful in front of Memphis for the West's top spot, and they're hoping to keep their foot on the pedal going forward.

"We have 19 games left," coach Steve Kerr said. "We have a pretty good sized lead, so thats a big part of what we're trying to preach is being focused, and keeping our momentum going. It's easy to let down in the position that we're in, but we're trying to get ready for every game down the stretch.

"We have a standard that we're trying to meet every night. And if you meet that standard consistently during the regular season, you're more likely to meet it during the playoffs."

The Warriors are averaging a league-high 109.6 points, and they've limited opponents to 91.6 per game during their winning streak. Klay Thompsonscored 27 points on 11 of 19 shooting as Golden State connected at a 52.4 percent clip in Wednesday's 105-98 victory over Detroit.

However, the Warriors didn't pull away until midway through the fourth quarter. They also committed 17 turnovers and were outrebounded 21-10 on the offensive glass.

"With the regular season winding down, we want to be playing our best basketball come three weeks, going into the playoffs," said Thompson, who became the 28th player in Warriors history to reach 5,000 points. "If we lock down that home-court advantage, we're going to be a tough out for anybody."

Thompson is averaging 24.3 points on 54.9 percent shooting - including 10 of 19 from 3-point range - over a three-game stretch.

The Nuggets (24-41) have all but been eliminated from the playoffs, but they're showing signs of life under interim coach Melvin Hunt. Denver improved to 4-2 since Hunt replaced Brian Shaw with a surprising 115-102 win over Atlanta on Wednesday.

Danilo Gallinari had 23 points and recently acquired Will Barton added 16 as the Nuggets matched their highest scoring total in 28 games.

Denver, which beat NBA-worst New York 106-78 two nights earlier, is looking to win three straight for the first time since a season best-tying five-game run Jan. 3-14.

Another victory won't be easy to come by against the Warriors, who crushed the Nuggets 122-79 at home in this season's first matchup Jan. 19. Thompson and Stephen Curry combined for 42 points before sitting out the entire fourth quarter in Golden State's most lopsided win this season.

The Warriors have also won two in a row at Denver after dropping 16 of their previous 18 there.

Golden State is 43-5 when scoring more than 100 points, with all but one of those defeats coming on the road.