Warriors Lose a Nail-Biter in Game 4

The Warriors erased an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter but couldn’t quite close it out on Sunday in a 126-121 loss in Denver. Despite the loss, the Warriors still hold a 3-1 lead in the first-round playoff series, and the Dubs will look to close it out in Game 5 at home on Wednesday.

Stephen Curry gave the Warriors a lead with a 22-foot step-back jumper with 1:21 left in the game, but the Nuggets responded with seven straight points, capped by a game-sealing Will Barton 3-pointer from the corner with 8.3 seconds left.

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The loss spoiled big games from the Splash Brothers, as Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson combined for 65 points. Andrew Wiggins added 20 points and Draymond Green logged 13 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and two steals before fouling out with 2:05 left in the game.

Reigning MVP Nikola Jokic had 18 of his 37 points in the first quarter for the Nuggets, who also got big-time contributions from Aaron Gordon (21 points), Monte Morris (24), Bones Hyland (15) and DeMarcus Cousins.

DENVER OUT-SPLASHES THE DUBS
Barton’s game-icing three was the 15th splash of the game for the Nuggets, who shot 56 percent from the floor and 48 percent from distance. Monte Morris knocked down five 3-pointers in the third period, Bones Hyland added three treys in the second quarter and Jokic knocked down three of his five 3-point attempts.

For the Warriors, Thompson made his first five 3-point attempts and didn’t miss a three until the fourth quarter. He finished with seven made threes for 32 points, and Curry made three triples, including one in the fourth quarter that ignited a four-point play. Despite the Curry and Thompson doing work, the Nuggets still made three more 3-pointers – on three fewer attempts – than the Warriors.

FOUL TROUBLE DOOMS DUBS
Thompson started the game hot but battled foul trouble for the entire game. After hitting two early 3-pointers, he went to the bench with two fouls four minutes into the game. Buoyed by Thompson’s hot start, the Dubs were ahead 13-6 early, but Denver soon took the lead back with Thompson on the bench. Denver would stretch their lead to 17 points, and the Dubs’ were dealt another blow when Thompson was called for an offensive foul in the final second of the first half, his fourth foul of the game.

Despite the foul trouble, Thompson came through with 13 of his 32 points in the third quarter in which he made all three of his 3-point attempts.

In addition to Thompson, Draymond Green played a lot of the game in foul trouble before being disqualified with his sixth foul with 2:05 left in the game. With Green on the bench, the Nuggets, who went 29-for-36 on free throws, closed the game on a 7-0 run to win their first game of the series.

CURRY LEADS COMEBACK ATTEMPT
After struggling to make shots in the first half, Curry, who once again came off the bench as has all series as the team looks to manage his minutes coming back from his foot injury, finished strong. He scored 15 of his team-high 33 points in the fourth quarter, and he scored or assisted on 22 of the team’s 32 points in the period. Even though Curry missed four free throws in the game – the first time that’s ever happened to him – Curry made all four of his free throw attempts in the fourth quarter to keep the Warriors in the game.

TURNOVERS STALL INITIAL WARRIORS COMEBACK
After a Bones Hyland 3-point spree gave the Nuggets a 17-point lead in the second quarter – Denver’s biggest advantage of the series – the Warriors began to chip away at their deficit. Rookie Jonathan Kuminga played his first non-garbage time minutes of the series and used his speed and athleticism to positively affect the game for the Dubs with nine points in 11 minutes. But after the Dubs had cut their deficit down to eight with a 17-8 run in the second quarter, three Warriors turnovers in a span of four possessions were taken advantage of by the Nuggets, who stretched their lead back to 15 points with three minutes left in the half. The Warriors had 17 turnovers for the game, leading to 30 points for the Nuggets.

GAME 5 SET FOR WEDNESDAY
The Warriors opened the series with consecutive home wins, and after splitting a pair on the road, the Dubs will head back to Chase Center for Game 5 on Wednesday at 7 p.m. Tickets are available now for the potential close-out game, and all fans in attendance will receive a Warriors Gold Blooded T-Shirt, courtesy of CarMax.

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