Up 3-0 in the series, the Warriors will look to close it out in Game 4 on Sunday afternoon in Denver.
Game 4Warriors at NuggetsSunday, April 2412:30 p.m.
WATCH: ABC
LISTEN: 95.7 The Game, ESPN Radio, Warriors Mobile App and Warriors Radio Network
A CHANCE TO COMPLETE THE SWEEP
The Warriors are three games – and three wins – into their first round playoff series, and the Dubs will have a chance to close this one out on Sunday afternoon in Denver. Counting a five-game winning streak to close the regular season, the Dubs have been victorious in each of their last eight games, and one more victory would earn them a trip to the Western Conference Semifinals. Standing in the way of that will be a Nuggets team that has its collective back against the wall, as Denver needs a win to keep its season alive.
WARRIORS PLAYOFF WATCH PARTY AT THRIVE CITYFor all Warriors road games during the 2022 postseason, fans are invited to come to Thrive City for a Warriors Playoffs Watch Party, presented by Chase. With sunny skies in the Sunday forecast in San Francisco, the Game 4 Watch Party will provide a number of fun activities for the whole family to enjoy, including the game being broadcast on the largest outdoor video board in San Francisco! Learn more about the Game 4 Watch Party and RSVP at thrivecity.com.
LAST TIME OUT
It was the closest game of the series yet, but clutch plays from the Warriors on both ends of the floor resulted in a 118-113 win for the Dubs in Game 3 on Thursday night in Denver. Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole combined for 80 points in the win, and Draymond Green helped seal the win with a timely steal in the final minute as the Warriors took a 3-0 lead in this first round playoff series. » Full Game Recap
MATCHUP AT A GLANCE
PREVIOUS GAME STARTERS
GSW: Jordan Poole, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green and Kevon Looney
DEN: Monte Morris, Will Barton, Jeff Green, Aaron Gordon and Nikola Jokic
INJURY & ROSTER NOTES
GSW: James Wiseman (right knee injury management) is out. Team Notes
DEN: Jamal Murray (left knee surgery recovery) and Michael Porter Jr. (lumbar spine surgery recovery) are TBD. Team Notes
THE WHATEVER-YOU-CALL-IT LINEUP
One of the dominant storylines of the first two games in the series was the play of the Warriors’ five-man lineup consisting of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Jordan Poole, Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green. That group was a plus-29 in their 11 combined minutes on the court together through the first two games of the series, helping the Dubs sustain momentum with extended runs to close out the first half in both Games 1 and 2. In Game 3 on Thursday, the Nuggets actually outscored that Warriors five-some by seven. But with the game on the line, Coach Kerr went back to the five-man group that shot 17-for-22 from the floor and 7-for-8 on 3-pointers while together over those game-changing 11 minutes of the first two games of the series. Only this time, it was their play off the ball that provided the winning plays.
With 4:27 left in the game, Andrew Wiggins checked back in between a pair of Jeff Green game-tying free throws, joining Curry, Thompson, Poole and Green on the floor. And from that point on, the Nuggets made just two field goals the rest of the game, one of which was a Will Barton putback shot with 23 seconds left when the Dubs were more intent on preventing a good Nuggets look from the perimeter. Wiggins put the Warriors ahead for good with a 3-pointer from the corner, but it was his hustle on an offensive rebound, leading to an acrobatic Poole layup, that was perhaps his signature play in this victory. Other less heralded – yet important – winning plays were the team’s rebounding down the stretch, the Dubs forcing a shot clock violation and Stephen Curry drawing a charge on consecutive possessions in a three-point game. Green’s game-defining steal on Jokic capped a nearly three-minute scoreless stretch for Denver in which the Nuggets went 0-for-4 from the floor with three turnovers. Considering it was a one or two possession game for the duration of that stretch, the Dubs’ clutch defense was certainly one of the factors that resulted in the team being one win away from advancing to the next round.
TEAM PLAYOFF LEADERS
A DIFFERENT GAME, A DIFFERENT SPARK
The Warriors have shot above 52 percent from the floor over each of the first three games. Jordan Poole has burst upon the postseason scene with three straight games of at least 27 points, and Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson have had big nights as well. While those three guards knocking down shots isn’t catching anyone by surprise, one of the difference-makers for the Dubs has been the scoring contributions from deep in the rotation. Nemanja Bjelica provided some nice scoring punch in Games 1 and 2, and on Thursday it was Gary Payton II’s turn. Payton knocked down three 3-pointers and scored all 11 of his points in the first half for the Dubs, shooting a perfect 4-for-4 from the floor. Coach Kerr has mainly gone with a 10-man rotation in each of the first three games of the series, excluding when the game is out of reach, and so far each reserve has stepped up when called upon.
DENVER SCOUTING REPORT
The Nuggets played their best game of the series on Thursday, but still enter Sunday’s matinee in a 3-0 hole. Center Nikola Jokic has turned in three straight monster performances and on Thursday he had 37 points and 18 rebounds, but still it wasn’t enough. On the bright side for Denver, Aaron Gordon had his best game of the series by far on Thursday, scoring 18 points to go along with 12 rebounds while being served the difficult task of defending the Warriors’ more shifty guards. As a team, Denver shot 50 percent from the floor and 42 percent on 3-pointers on Thursday, their best of the series, and time will tell if that upward trend continues on Sunday.