The Golden State Warriors will play the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, beginning Saturday, April 16 at 5:30 p.m. at Chase Center.
The two teams have faced each other four times in the regular season, with Denver winning three of those four matchups. The status of Stephen Curry for the series has not yet been determined, but the Warriors will be at almost full strength against the Nuggets (James Wiseman was ruled out for the season on March 25), something they have not been yet when facing Denver. Kevon Looney, Jonathan Kuminga and Nemanja Bjelica are the only Warriors players to play in all four games against the Nuggets this season. Curry, Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole have all missed one game, Klay Thompson and Otto Porter Jr. missing two, Andre Iguodala three and Draymond Green missing all four matchups against the Nuggets.
WARRIORS VS. NUGGETS 2021-22 LEADERS
WARRIORS VS. NUGGETS 2021-22 TEAM STATS
Let’s take a closer look at each game between the Warriors and Nuggets from the 2021-22 regular season.
In the most recent matchup between the two teams, the Warriors came out on top, winning 113-102 on the road on March 10. The Dubs trailed by as many as 14 points in the third quarter and scored the game’s final 13 points, holding Denver scoreless for the final three minutes and 10 seconds to secure the win. Stephen Curry recorded a team-high 34 points and nine rebounds, and scored his 20,000th point in the game, becoming the 49th player in NBA history to reach the milestone and the 23rd to score all 20,000 with one team, Jordan Poole added 21 points, seven assists and five rebounds off of the bench, while finishing with a team-high plus-29 plus-minus. Nikola Jokic led the Nuggets with 23 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists, but missed all eight of his 3-point attempts. Point guard Monte Morris added 19 points and five assists, making a team-high three 3-pointers.
The Warriors were without eight players in the loss, but kept the game close, trailing by three points with three minutes remaining in the contest before coming up short. The Dubs allowed a season-high 41 free throw attempts to Denver, and Nikola Jokic recorded 32 points, 15 rebounds and 13 assists for the Nuggets. Five other Nuggets scored in double figures. For the Dubs, Jordan Poole scored a team-high 32 points and made eight 3-pointers. Moses Moody scored a career-high 30 points, becoming the youngest Warrior in franchise history to score 30-or-more points in a single game. This game marked the Warriors’ only loss this season when scoring at least 120 points (18-1).
This game was originally set for Dec. 30, but was rescheduled after the Nuggets did not have the league-required eight available players. The Warriors led for more than the first 47 minutes of the game, with the Nuggets taking their first lead with 14.9 seconds left. A Stephen Curry three-point play with 5.9 seconds left gave the Warriors a two-point lead, but it was not enough. On the game’s final possession, Nikola Jokic found Monte Morris drifting toward the 3-point line and Morris drilled the triple at the buzzer to give Denver the win at Chase Center. The 39 fourth quarter points was the most for any opponent against the Warriors this season. Seven Warriors scored in double figures in the loss, with Curry scoring a team-high 25 points. Gary Payton II started in the game and recorded 12 points, four rebounds and a career-high-tying six steals. Jokic recorded 35 points, 17 rebounds and eight assists for Denver, shooting 13-of-24 from the field. The Nuggets bench scored 52 points, with Bryn Forbes scoring 22 points. The loss was the Warriors’ fourth defeat in five games as the team headed into the All-Star Break.
The Dubs trailed by as many as 24 points, before tying the game at 84-84 with 1:04 remaining in the game. Andre Iguodala had a chance to tie the game at the buzzer, but his 3-pointer came up short. The Dubs outscored the Nuggets 50-29 in the second half, the least points allowed in any half for the Warriors this season. The Warriors shot 16-of-31 from the free throw line, the least amount of makes for the Dubs when attempting 30-or-more free throws since 2005. Stephen Curry scored a team-high 23 points, while Andrew Wiggins added 21 points and eight rebounds. Curry made career 3-pointer No. 3,000 in the loss, becoming the first player in NBA history to hit that mark. Denver did not shoot the ball well either on the night, making just 8-of-33 3-point attempts. Nikola Jokic recorded 22 points and 19 rebounds for the Nuggets and Will Barton added 21 points, four rebounds and four assists.
It was an incredibly tight regular season between the two teams, with all four matchups coming down to the wire and the Warriors and Nuggets scoring the same exact amount of points against each other this season (439). The first-round series will also feature two MVPs; the Warriors’ Stephen Curry won the award in back-to-back years in 2015 and 2016. Nuggets center Nikola Jokic was awarded MVP last season and is in the running to win the award for the second consecutive year. The stage is set for a thriller as the Warriors host their first-ever playoff series at Chase Center.