Any thought of a letdown following Wednesday’s emotional win over a division rival was quickly dismissed, as the Warriors got off to a quick start in a 119-104 win over the Nuggets.
GAME LEADERS
Any thought of a letdown following Wednesday’s emotional win over a division rival was quickly dismissed, as the Warriors got off to a quick start in Friday night’s 119-104 win over the Nuggets at Oracle Arena.
Festus Ezeli started his perfect evening from the field on the game’s very first possession, finishing with one of his several dunks off a nifty dish from Draymond Green. Soon after, the Warriors went on a 12-0 run and they weren’t done yet. The Dubs extended their lead to 30 by halftime and despite a late Denver run, the Warriors never let their lead fall to single digits in the second half.
Stephen Curry led the Warriors with 34 points and 10 assists, his first 30-and-10 game of the season, and Ezeli made all seven of his shots on the way to a career-high 16 points. Harrison Barnes had 21 points, including a big 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter that stalled any hope of a Denver comeback. Klay Thompson added 18 points and Draymond Green was his normal do-it-all self with 12 points, nine rebounds and eight assists.
Before Denver made the final score a little more respectable, the Warriors were in complete control. They were knocking down their perimeter shots and controlling the boards. The Dubs at one point had a 30-11 rebounding advantage in the second quarter, and they went on to out-score Denver – a normally strong team on the offensive glass – 23-5 on second-chance points.
The Warriors knocked down 17 3-pointers on the night, and four of those came courtesy of Curry in the opening quarter. Curry finished with eight treys for the game, and his 36 3-pointers in six games to start the season are the most in NBA history. Thompson added four of his own and the Warriors improved to 6-0 for the first time in the team’s West Coast era.
The Warriors will look to continue this strong start to the season when they visit the Kings on Saturday in the back end of a back-to-back.