Warriors Fall Short in Denver –
The Warriors suffered their first loss of 2016, falling to the Nuggets 111-110 in Denver on Wednesday night. Stephen Curry led all players with 38 points and nine assists, and Harrison Barnes scored his most point since returning from injury, but it wasn’t enough to overcome a Nuggets team that led for the vast majority of the contest. With the defeat, the Warriors drop to 36-3 on the season.
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The Warriors got off to a slow start, going without a field goal until Klay Thompson sank a jumpshot with 8:47 left in the first frame, before which Golden State had trailed 6-0. Stephen Curry made a three-pointer 24 seconds later, and once the Splash Brothers got the faucet turned on, the Nuggets couldn’t turn it off, at least, momentarily. Curry would assist on four of the Warriors’ next five baskets, three of which were scored by Thompson, including a three-pointer, to carry the scoring burden for Golden State through the first seven minutes of the opening quarter. Unfortunately for the Warriors, however, Denver had no trouble scoring either. The Nuggets followed that Splash Brothers burst with a 9-0 run, taking a 27-17 lead with 2:09 remaining. The Warriors would respond with a 7-0 surge over the next minute, but Denver would outscore Golden State 5-1 through the remainder of the quarter, taking a 32-25 lead into the second frame.
After Will Barton scored for Denver on the opening possession of the quarter, the Warriors began to reel the Nuggets in. Harrison Barnes scored six-straight points for Golden State in a span of three minutes, and Andrew Bogut’s layup pulled the Warriors within two, trailing 40-38 with 7:08 remaining in the half. Denver would immediately respond by scoring six of the next eight points in the game, but their lead would only diminish from there. Harrison Barnes hit back-to-back three-pointers, tying the game at 46 with 2:22 left in the half. Curry would score the next six points for Golden State, including a three-pointer to give the Dubs their first lead of the game at 52-51 with 1:24 left to play. Denver would respond with consecutive baskets before Barnes scored the final two of his 14 points in the quarter with 12.5 seconds left to send the game into halftime with the Nuggets clinging to a 55-54 advantage.
Read more at: http://www.nba.com/warriors/gameday/20160113/recap
JEstevez@EMIsportsCentral.com
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