The Warriors dropped their first game of the preseason, falling 108-102 to the visiting Denver Nuggets on Saturday night. Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson all scored in double-figures, but Golden State proved unable to overcome their struggles from three-point range, where they made just four of their 33 attempts as a team. Nick Young and Jordan Bell added six and four points, respectively, in their first games in a Warriors uniform.
GAME LEADERS
Golden State’s struggles from long distance were evident from the start, as the Dubs missed all nine of their three-point attempts in the first quarter. Zaza Pachulia opened the scoring with two free throws, but the Warriors never managed to build a multi-possession lead, and Denver took a 28-21 advantage at the end of one. After Mason Plumlee dunked for the first basket of the second quarter, Nick Young finally broke the seal and answered with the Warriors’ first trey of the evening. Shaun Livingston then provided the next six points in the contest to tie the score at 30-30 with 8:45 remaining in the half, and back-to-back David West jumpers on consecutive possessions would momentarily put the Dubs back in front. The two sides would trade baskets until Paul Millsap followed a Gary Harris score with one of his own to give Denver a 54-50 lead with one minute remaining. Damian Jones would provide the last two points of the half with two free throws, sending the game into halftime with the Warriors trailing by two.
Jamal Murray sank a three-pointer at the 7:42 mark of the third quarter to rebuild a six-point cushion for the Nuggets, but Klay Thompson’s jumper on the ensuing possession would ignite a 11-3 Golden State burst that put the Dubs back in front on Jordan Bell’s first basket in a Warriors uniform.
It would be a short-lived advantage, however, as Denver would respond with a 9-2 run of their own to retake the lead. The Nuggets would then remain in front for the duration of the contest.
With the defeat, Golden State drops to 0-1 in preseason play. They’ll now depart for China where they’ll play their next two preseason games against the Minnesota Timberwolves, beginning with their first matchup on Wednesday, October 4 at 11:00 p.m. (Pacific).