NBA LIVE! Golden State Warriors vs Denver Nuggets LIVE | NBA PRESEASON | August 4, 2025 | NBA 2K
The Golden State squad coming through the tunnel earlier with the Warrior Faithful anxiously awaiting their arrival on the floor. Welcome everyone. Thanks for tuning in to 2K Sports for this NBA presentation. This is Kevin Harland joined at the broadcast table by Greg Anthony and coach Dan Van Gundy. And as always, we’ll hear from our Hall of Fame reporter, David Aldridge. Now, let’s take a look at the Nuggets opening lineup. The forwards are Porter Jr. and Gordon to his side. In at the guard spots, it’s Murray and Brown. And it’s Joic in at the five. And for Golden State in the back court, we’ll see Curry and Pajki. Gary Payton II is out there with Jimmy Butler. And it’s Green in at the pivot spot manning the middle. What are some of the advantages, Stan, of coaching teams with a lot of veterans, a lot of experience? Kevin, how much time do we have? I mean, do we have time to do a whole podcast? I mean, it’s everything. They know more about the game. They’re smarter. They’ve seen it all. They have developed a professionalism and a mental toughness. They’ve been through every situation. I could go on and on. And there’s that fine line between being too weighted in that direction and not having the kind of skilled players, the youth that can drive that engine. Yeah, I think having a good mix of youth and veterans is very important to team. Five to shoot. Golden State needs to get off a shot. A shot by Pajki. No good. And he didn’t punish them for the weak coverage there, but they can’t count on him to continue missing. Joic and he drops in the layup off the glass. Just so physical inside, even with contact. Joic able to fight through outside Butler. And now just over a minute played here in the first. Good on the triple. That’s a high percentage look when the D doesn’t fight over the screen. Yeah, it’s certainly worth it to disrupt the offense. Coaches notice that extra effort. And so it’s Murray with it. He brings it up for Denver. Pass to Brown. Back to Murray. Good ball move booming here by the Nuggets. Gordon finds Joic. And foul on the shot. So he’ll get a chance at the line. Last season, Stan, Joic passed LeBron’s all-time triple double mark, and he did it stunningly in 813 fewer games. Yeah. Now, it’s really possible, Kevin, that he’s going to end up at the top of that triple double list by the time his career’s over. He’s got the big O and Westbrook in his sights. You know, don’t sell this guy short. He can do it almost any night. What’s great about Joic GA is he can put up MVP numbers and he’s and he’s got a little personality to him, doesn’t he? He does. You can tell he just loves life. He loves everything he does, especially when he’s on the floor making his teammates better. And looking back, coach, how great was it to see the Nuggets win their first title back in 2023? One of the great NBA stories, Kevin. It was huge. It was a moment years in the making. That championship meant so much to the city of Denver and its fans. Now Joic after the miss three from Stephen Crow. Pass to Gordon beyond the arc. That one no good. And they had some boxed coverage that turned into no coverage. And that’ll be Golden State as it goes out of bounds. Warriors retain possession. Here’s Butler. Curry on the wing. Feyen with a screen for Curry. That’s in. He’s got two made now and he’s shooting two for three. Stronger than he looks. Curry able to take the hit there. and finish first quarter of ball almost two and a half minutes in and now we’ll go to David Aldridge who spoke with Steve Kerr. David when it comes to Jamal Murray coach said it’s crucial to make sure his defense doesn’t slack off on him. He said Murray is a microwave scorer. He can get hot in a real hurry. Our guys know they have to talk with one another out there, help each other out. Communication is key, guys. Back to you. Okay, David. Much appreciated. Now here’s Curry. He’s got five. Pass to Pajki. Back to Curry. Up and in on the layup. Curry’s got seven. Great work inside by Curry there. So clever and composed in the paint. Murray against Curry. Joic with a screen on Curry and they double up. Murray pulled the shot a little left, but the bounce goes his way. Well, when you have a scorer as skilled as he is, you do everything you can to get him the looks he needs. Here’s Curry and two free throws coming up. unable to get that one to go with all the contact. Clever move by Curry taking the foul but still getting the shot on. The Warriors shooting their first shots from the stripe in this game. And just to mention, a season ago they were very comfortable at the line hitting about 78% of their free throws. Two shots. First free throw is good. And you know with Curry, what impresses me most is his efficiency. That’s not something we normally see in a high volume jump shooter and good on the second. So he makes them both and that’s the norm for him. He’s pretty much automatic when he’s at the line to the middle. Joic no good. And so Green will bring it up for Golden State. Oh wow. What a great move inside. That is incredible. Yeah, you don’t want to forget about the athleticism of Butler. Just a sick slammer of the basketball. So you can’t allow him to get to that launching pad. Now here’s Murray and Denver is about to take their first time out here. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. And so here’s Denver. Denver passing it around. Gordon a screen. Here’s Brown. That shot no good. Great te that time from Green and stolen by Murray. And here’s the fast break and they call the foul. So a chance at the line for one more coming up. Any chance you get, you want to put yourself in a position to succeed and that’s what he did there. Well, converting on those transition opportunities is just so important. And some stats here, guys, is the scoring breakdown for the Nuggets. Well, I have to applaud their ball movement. They’re moving the ball around, finding the best looks they can, and keeping everyone involved. You also have to admire how they’ve challenged the defense inside, getting a lot of points in the paint. 21st pick in the 2022 draft, Christian Brown, who won a title with Denver during his rookie year. And their coach, Michael Malone, used him in certain situations and he flourished. Well, you know, Kevin, he won a college championship the year before. This guy’s played in a lot of high pressure games, and that is what has given Michael Malone the confidence to go with him. He was ready for those moments. Ready indeed. Denver’s gone one and two from long range in the first quarter. Brown. The pass to Gordon. It’s Porter outside. Kicks it out to Gordon from the arc. The Warriors pull it in. Not quite enough defense that time around. Just lucky he was off. Wow. Missed the easy one right there. right at the rim but came up empty. Here’s Brown. Murray outside. Get there. Get there. Pass to Joic over Butler. Joic cross the double. He had a nice open look right there. Brown’s got six points. And I feel like Joic has 360 degree vision. I mean, no matter where the open man is, he’s going to find him. Curry against Murray. Payton looking around. It’s Curry outside. Porter pulls it in. I can’t believe he missed that three regardless. That’s not a shot the defense should be giving him. To the inside. Browns shot is off. Warriors trail by four. Here’s Butler. doesn’t get it to drop for him. Gordon with the defensive effort. Jookic passes to Brown. Outside Porter. Pass to Brown. Now here’s Joic. Pocket four. Lets it go from deep. And that one is good with the extra effort on the glass. Eight points for him. Oh, great effort. They’re fighting for that loose ball. Joker continues to attack the offensive glass. Back to Curry. Rebound by the Nuggets. Joic has got his fifth rebound in this one. Pass to Porter. And here’s Gordon. Murray. The pass to Joic. shoots over Curry and Joic with the basket on the assist by Murray. And now an eight-point Denver lead. Nice touch on the jump shot. Jokic’s shooting ability changes his team’s definition of spacing. And we’ve got a timeout called by Steve Kerr. He’s made the decision he wants to huddle up with his guys. Heat. Heat. Buddy heel. He’s checked in for Stephen Curry. Payton Watson. He’s checked in for the Nuggets. Russell Westbrook comes in for Christian Brown. And so it’s Butler with it. He’ll bring it up for Golden State. Eight-point game. They need this one. They kick it out to Green and it’s off from three-point range. Denver leading by eight. Joic finds Murray. Gordon against Butler. Pass to Joic. Buries the long range jumper. Joic has got 13. And what a way to start this game. Dominating at both ends of the floor. Obviously, guys, brilliant coaching. A perfect game plan. Some tough offensive sets. They want to turn it around. Yeah, right now you just need a bucket to get some momentum. Peyton outside. Green with a screen on West to the paint and Green slams it in. Oh, how about the execution inside by Green? He’s excellent at knowing when to attack down low. On offense, here are the Nuggets. They’re on a 13-4 run. Pass to Watson. Murray a screen on heel. to the wing right side freeing against Joic. Wow. Drew the contact and that three almost went in. So he’ll go to the line for three free throws on the night. He’s gone two for two at the strike. And you know guys, he had a big game at the free throw line in their last outing. Got this. Free throw. Good. Milk. And he’s good on the second. and he nails the third. Well, he’s come through for them at the line today. And you love having a big fella who’s so capable on his free throw. Outside Butler. Golden State moving the ball around. Healed against Murray. Releases. He can’t hit. Yeah, I’m not sure that’s the look they want. It’s tough working the mid-range area. Pass to Gordon. Gordon with a screen on heel. Back to Gordon and stolen by Butler. Getting the latest now from our sideline reporter, David Aldridge. David, it’s all yours. Take it away. Thank you, Kevin. Nola Joic may not be the most physically gifted, but there’s an old saying in basketball, you’re as fast as you can anticipate. LeBron James says he sees plays before they happen. A lot of people don’t understand it, but I do. He’s special. Kevin, you know, his mind for the game is just on another level. We appreciate that report. And he can’t hit the second. The Nuggets leading by 11. Westbrook passes to Watson and stolen by Butler. Now here’s Moody. He’s covered by Murray. Pass to post. Now Heel outside. Butler puts up a deep three. Yic grabs the miss. Joic has got rebound number eight here tonight in the game. Murray outside. Now here’s Joic and he can’t bank that one in. Here’s Butler. Good on the shot and that shaves the lead to single digits. And this kind of shot defines who Butler is. Just a bulldog who embraces finishing against the tight coverage. The Nuggets now on offense. They’re on a 16-7 run. Dan, you know, you think about Jimmy Butler and you and I are fans of his team. Talk about a guy who calls it like he sees it, though. My goodness. Yeah, that’s an understatement. Look, Jimmy’s never going to hold back. He’ll call out his teammates. He’ll call out opponents. He’ll call out the referees. This guy acts with no fear. Just don’t call out the broadcasters, right? We want to stay out of his out of his range and he would have no reason to. Exactly. Exactly. Curry’s checked in and Denver also making a switch. Shar has checked in for Jamal Murray. He hits the second from the line. Warriors trail by 10. on the wing. Heel guarded by Porter. Pass to Heel. Hands it from downtown. A volume three-point sniper. Heel realizes his role is to help space the floor with his shooting. Now, here’s Westbrook. No scoring in this one. Jokic. That one is good again. He’s six from the floor with the basket. Yeah. And there it is again. on a lot of their possessions this first half. They’ve established great inside position. And here’s Curry who brings it up for the Warriors. Here’s Heel. And then Heel with the dunk. Explosive play by Heel taking off and slamming that one down before the knee could react. Denver leading by seven. Right side. Westbrook. Now here’s Joic. He’s covered closely. Another shot. He takes it up and lays it in. Jookic has got 20. He’s so skilled on the interior. Joic plays with so much force and leverage down low. Pass to Moody and it’s Kaminga at the elbow. Curry with it. Shot clock at five from deep. Another three for Golden State. I mean, the range is just unreal. Curry can make even the toughest shots look easy. Inside. Here’s Joic. It’s good. 22 points for Joic. And boy, he’s really in a groove. Dominant performance last game. same thing this time out. Yeah, for sure. He is just oozing confidence. Thinks every shot is going in. They should just keep running sets for him. And so it’s the Denver Nuggets holding on to an eight-point lead heading into the break. They’re pounding the ball inside and that’s where they’ve gotten their best production tonight. And we’ll be back with you shortly. And for those of you just tuning in, the second quarter of action is where we’re at right now. What do you guys think about the Nuggets out here in this one? I mean, the rebounding was the difference in that first period. You’ve got to block these guys out. Hey, look, it’s simple. More rebounds means more possessions and that’s clearly been their priority. Warriors trail by eight. So on the floor for Denver. Michael Porter’s out there with Peyton Watson. Then it’s Dario Sharich. Then there’s Russell Westbrook. And it’s Drawther in at the two. Kaminga no good. And the defense gave him no space. He had to fade back. That’s not an easy look for most guys. And he comes up with the deuce and the Nuggets lead by 10. And how about Westbrook’s impressive passing ability there. Beautiful dime to set up his teammate. Back to Heield and he lays it straight in. He’s got seven. I mean, the number of points they’ve scored in the paint already here is eye opening. The Nuggets leading by eight outside Westbrook down low and there’s Porter on the assist from Westbrook. Westbrook’s got four assists in the game. Just using his size well close to the rim. Porter is outstanding at cashing in from those spots. Healed outside. Pass to Moody. Kaminga kicks to Curry. Back to Kaminga. Heel dishes to Kaminga. And the three off target. Doesn’t register as a block, but he did everything you want defending that shot. Well, you know, sometimes the most pivotal plays don’t always go on the stat sheet. Oh, and the lead gets bigger on a ridiculous offensive sequence. That dunk alone would have been spectacular. Never mind it coming at the end of an alleyoop. Here’s post. The Nuggets hitting the bucket. Back to heal. And eventually every player GA has to grapple with age realizing they’ve lost a step or two against the young Phillies. And sometimes that is a very slow realization. Oh, it it is, Kevin. Hopefully by that point, it’s less about financial security and more about prolonging the inevitable simply for the love of the game. And it goes down two points. And if anything, Westbrook gets more aggressive against contact inside. He doubles his effort level in response. Here’s Heel. He has seven. And here in the second quarter of action with a hair under two and a half minutes played so far. Curry outside and it’s Denver with the rebound. Here’s Porter. Two free throws coming up and they call the shooting foul. It goes on Moses Moody. We know very few players in the league, Stan, can put up points with the ease that Michael Porter Jr. can, don’t we? One of the prettiest shots in the league, Kevin. He’s got great size. He’s got that high release and he gets it off quick. When he’s shooting it well, he can take over a game. And he rebounds well, too. He does other things in addition to scoring. Well, that’s where he’s really improved, doing those other things. That free throw, no good. And the Nuggets making a change here. Rounds checked in. Good on the second free throw here in the second quarter. We played a little over two and a half minutes now. Westbrook against Curry. They double team curl. Golden State moving the ball around. A nice shot by Moody. And we always talk about making your teammate better. That assist was right on target. Here’s Westbrook. Time called here. The Nuggets decide to talk it over. and coaches looking to seize every advantage, maximize every possession. Well, that’s the job, right? Your duty as a coach is to finesse your lineups so your guys get the best chance to succeed. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. About three minutes played so far in this second quarter. To the inside. And the rebound goes to the Warriors. Now Moody and a lot of contact on that one. So he’ll shoot two here. That one on Porter. First trip to the free throw line for him in this one. Had a success rate from the line last year of about 78%. Take a break. Take a break. Two shots. First free throw is good. Raymond Green, he’s checked in for the Warriors. Pajki is coming in for healed. And Denver with a change here, too. Murray’s checked in. Moody heads both. You coach Stan at various levels for 30 years. How has the transition been to the broadcasting business? Well, Kevin, it’s been great because of people like you and because I’m undefeated, right? But do you miss the aftermath when when there’s at least a score sheet, there’s a scorecard that says win or loss? I I do miss that. There’s no question. I miss the competition. I miss the camaraderie of building toward a result. But I’ve started to get some of that in broadcasting as I’ve gotten to know my partners better. Well, it’s great being your partner. Likewise. To the middle. It’s deflected. And you can’t be careless around Sar when he’s on you. He is looking to send that one back. Well, the defense just dared him to take that one. Poor execution on their part, but they got lucky. And here’s Curry who brings it up for Golden State. They trail by nine points. Count that one. I mean, one thing about Draymond, he almost invites contact. Murray against Kirk. And here is Murray. Five on the clock. Well, Nuggets need to get a shot off. And here’s Westbrook from the arc. Good. And a nice assist from Porter. Westbrook’s got five points in the quarter. And so difficult to defend. When Westbrook is hurting you off the bounce, he’s hurting you off the catch. Here’s PMski. He’s covered by Westbrook. Curry looking around. VMsky with it. Scoreless thus far. Hits the jumper in space. The Nuggets leading by eight. Denver calls timeout. Heat. Heat. Here we are. And some changes here for the Warriors. Butler comes in for Kaminga. And it’s Payton in for Moody. Joic has checked in for the Nuggets. Here’s Joic. He’s got 22. Joic with a screen on Curt Murray. The pass to Joic. Some nice ball movement by the Nuggets. Lock at six. A second chance effort. Porter kicks to West. A three ball. Rebound by Butler. Warriors trail by eight. Pass to Curry. Here’s Poachki. Good. And Curry gets the assist. Pompeki’s got five. And Curry isn’t just a lights out scorer. He’s also efficient at moving the ball and getting it to his teammates. Curry against Murray at the elbow. Yic. The double. Curry with the steel. Curry crashes inside. On the offensive end, Curry both prolific and efficient. The Nuggets leading by three. Murray the pass to Porter. Here’s Westbrook. He’s defended by Pachki. Left side. Westbrook. Pass to Joic. Down to five on the shot clock. And it’s the Warriors ball. They’re on a 15-6 run now. Payton over Murray. Porter pulls it in. Porter’s got four rebounds now tonight. Westbrook surveying the deep pass to Joic. Fires from deep and Yic is good on the three. Oh, the Joker taking over. He He’s had his way offensively making it look easy. There’s a good screen. It’s Curry outside. Curry with another miss. And so it’s Joic with the ball. He brings it up for Denver. 13 points was their biggest lead in the game. Murray. The pass to Joic. Back to Murray. And yes, it’s good. And now an eight-point Nugget lead. And you can’t fall asleep against Murray, especially when he’s got great interior positioning. The D has got to be better. Now here’s Payton. Back to Curry. and stolen by Murray. The finish and it’s Murray with the jam. I love how competitive Murray is, showing how dangerous he can be on both ends on that play. Here’s Curry. 14 points for him. And Greg, something that is so important to this team, Jamal Murray’s shot creation. It is, Deon. He creates so much with the ball or off of it. The work he puts in on offense frees up everything for his teammates. Great competitor who’s really a perfect fit with this court. 18 ft out. Westbrook pulls it in. And there hasn’t been anything easy for him in this period. Well, the offense has to look for ways to get him easier shots, better selections. You have to be set up for success. Count it good. and the D getting out worked there on the put back. Can’t let that happen. And I can tell you from experience, these are the types of things that drive coaches crazy. Here’s Curry. Michael Porter making his last shot. Left side. Curry. Tow finish by Stephen Curry. Yeah, I’d call this ideal scoring distance. It’s almost too easy. Denver leading by eight. Pass to Brown. Back to Westbrook. And there’s the whistle. Illegal screen. And not the most common call you’ll see in the NBA, but hard to argue that pick wasn’t illegal. Yeah. And that’s maybe something that should be called more. We see a lot of moving screens in today’s NBA. Buddy Heel, he’s checked in for the Warriors. Gordon’s checked in for the Nuggets. And so Steve Kerr calls for the timeout. He’s going to have a discussion here on the sideline. Heat. Heat. Nuggets on D. Payton passes to Heel. Green with a screen for Heel to the paint. Good on that shot. And with that, the Nugget lead is cut down now to just six points with that basket from Draymond Green. Denver’s gone two of four from three-point range so far in the second quarter. There’s Porter with the three. Pajenski grabs the board. Golden State’s gone one of four from three-point range in the second. Not a whole lot dropping out there for them. Going to the rack with energy and the D afraid to cut him off. Yeah, got to chalk that one up to some shaky defending. And with the score as close as it is, these are the opportunities you truly can’t allow. Brown the pass to Porter. Outside Gordon Denver passing it around. Pass to Joic. Six to shoot. outside. Gordon takes the three and the ball travels out of his hands. It was last touched by Joic. Moody’s checked in for Golden State. Warriors trail by four. Well, Greg, I’m sure their coach is very pleased with their offensive flow right now. I mean, it’s harder than it looks to get it going like this. Now, they just have to maintain it. Joic against Green. Lob pass to Gordon. Hammers the alleyoop through. Out of nowhere, Gordon just soaring in there. And that athleticism carries him straight to the hoop. Warriors shooting the ball beautifully in the second quarter. They’re at 55% from the field. Here’s PMski. He’s covered by Murray. Floats one. It’s rebounded by Jamal Murray. And so it’s Murray with it. He brings it up for the Denver Nuggets. Six-point lead. Here he goes. Thrown down by Butler. And everything Butler does, he does with a bang, including those two points. The Nuggets shooting 53% in the second quarter. Good ball movement yielding good looks. Shot clocking, game clock separated by less than 6 seconds. Such a wideopen look. Gilkich has got six here in this quarter. Yeah, showing off that ability to stretch the floor. Seems like everyone is a threat at the arc these days. Green with a screen on Gordon and Butler puts up a deep three trying to answer back, but that three is off the mark. And so it’s the Denver Nuggets bringing the quarter to a close with a seven-point lead. Their shooting has been the big key. Their percentage from the field so far has been terrific. And a chance now to send it over to David Aldridge standing by courtside. David Kevin, thank you. With Draymond Green, Draymond rebounding a bit of a struggle. How do you improve that? Hit your man. You know, get five guys to the boards. Guards get in there and clean up those boards that’s loose, but you know, our big guys got to hold our mans off and we’ve been doing that this time. We’ll see if all five can get you more boards in that second half. Trey, thanks a lot. Back to you, Kevin. All right, David. Thank you. And stay with us, folks. We’ll be back just after halftime to get the third quarter started. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. We played through the first half. Plenty of basketball though left in this one. You look at Joic in this game. He has been everywhere. Well, with a double double in hand through two quarters, you can just imagine what his statline will look like at the end of this one. Well, he’s already put in a full day’s work. They might want to lighten the load on him in the second half. Now here’s Curry in the back court. We’ll see Curry and Pajki Butler out there with Draymond Green. And it’s Payton in at the three. That’s Steve Cerr’s five as we get into the second half. It’s three outside. The shot missing and I thought that was going to drop. looked good from here. Bob pass to Gordon and then Gordon with the duck. Oh, phenomenal alley slam there. They are taking advantage of a team that looks lost out there. Warriors trail by nine. Here’s Curry outside. Green. Curry in the lane. Porter against Payton. Porter with a block. They retain possession. Offensive rebound. Here’s the three. And there’s Stephen Curry on the assist by Green. Curry’s got 19 points. Honestly, guys, Curry is the best three-point shooter I’ve ever seen. Murray with the bounce pass. Pass to Brown. The Nuggets moving the ball around. And here’s Gordon. Just five to shoot. Brown. The pass to Gordon. Three-pointer. It’s rebounded by Payton. And the great shooters know when they’ve got enough opening to go for the three. I didn’t think it was a bad choice on that possession. And they double up Butler. Curry is inside. Wow. Magical moves inside from Steph Curry. And you got to love the big bucket in the paint in this sort of a grind it out game. The Nuggets leading by four. Pass to Brown. Curry with the steel. And we’re just around 2 minutes into the final half of play now. You can’t hit that time. Denver’s gotten the three-point bug tonight. They’ve taken 15 shots outside the arc. Six of 15. Murray. The pass to blocked. And here we go. Fast break. Payton’s got it. And a great assist by Curry as that one goes in. Curry’s got his fifth assist in this one. And here are the Nuggets now. 13 points was their biggest lead in the game. Gordon against Butler. There’s Porter with the three and the call up against Joic. That’ll be his second foul of the game. A sensational block that definitely deserves another look. And boy did he get up quick to reject that shot. That’s as fundamental as defense gets. Warriors have gone three of seven on field goal attempts here in the second half. Curry pass it to Payton. Back to Curry with the drive. Four on the shot clock. Pass to Pajki for the tie and it’s Denver with the rebound. Gordon’s got four rebounds in this game. And really, coach Van Gandi, the acquisition of Aaron Gordon for the Nuggets was one of the things that elevated them to the championship caliber team that we saw. Yeah, Kevin, he was sort of the missing piece. He’s a great fit in the front court alongside of Jokic. His athleticism, his defense, his ability to score inside have really made them a great tandem. And what about his ability, Stan, to fit in right off the bat and make a difference? You know, just about anybody can fit in playing with Yic, Kevin. He makes the game easy. Well said. Now, here’s Murray following the miss by Draymond Green. Gets the three-pointer to fall. Murray’s got nine. And the best scorers like Murray, they believe every shot they take is going in, no matter how deep they are on the floor. Now, here’s Green. He’s got six. Pompeki finds Butler. Curry with it. Back to Butler over Gordon. And it’s Butler missing. Well, the analytics don’t like it. But if the defense is giving it up, I like that shot selection despite the miss. Gordon for three. Green with the rebound. Green’s got six rebounds now in the game. Curry with it. Now guarded by Murray. Yes, that goes in. Curry’s got 23. Just shows you how impressive Curry’s shooting ability is that he can adjust for any distance. Pass to Brown outside Porter and he’s good on the three ball and the Nuggets lead by six. And that’s a high percentage look when the D doesn’t fight over the screen. Yeah, it’s certainly worth it to disrupt the offense. Coaches notice that extra effort. Now here’s Curry. 23 points in the game. Now Pajimski Green the screen now. Pajki. He has five. Oh, Curry so accurate from three-point range. And you got the feeling that was coming. Curry loves coming back with a three of his own. Pass to Gordon. Porter looking it over. Yic. High post. Back to Porter. The three. The Warriors pull it in. Gordon against Kirk. And that one clearly a foul. Gets the whistle and two shots coming up. As a coach, what were some of your favorite parts, Stan, of life on the road? Well, Kevin, we get treated really well on the road in the NBA. I mean, you travel on great charters. People take care of your bags. We stay in great hotels. But my favorite part of being on the road was when we were on our way home. Easier to win at home, family at home. That was the favorite part of it. How about the bonding experience that a lot of coaches talk about when you’re out there kind of alone against the forces, just you and your team? Well, I definitely think players bond on trips like that because they’re not going in different directions. They team to spend time together. I don’t think any of them ever wanted to spend time with me. And both free throws good for Curry. And Murray’s got the ball here for the Nuggets. Outside Gordon back to Murray puts up a three. The Warriors pull it in. Butler’s got four rebounds now tonight. Back to Curry for the lead. Drills it from outside. Curry’s got the lead up to two now for the Warriors. It doesn’t matter if it’s off the bounce or off the catch. Curry never loses rhythm on his jump shot. Denver calls timeout. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Russell Westbrook’s check in for Christian Brown. Denver’s gone a less than productive two of six from three-point land in the second half. Joic a screen outside. Westbrook shoots over Pompki. The shots good from Westbrook. Westbrook’s got it all tied up now for Denver. Just so versatile. I mean, Westbrook can go to the hole, bring it back out for three, or in that case, just rise and fire from mid-range. Now, here’s Butler. He’s got eight. Curry with a wideopen look. Good. And Butler gets the assist. Curry’s got 18 points just in the second half. And you can tell he’s looking for his shot. He just believes in it. Well, yeah. And the defense is going to have to respond to that and chase him off the arc. And here’s Joic after the three-pointer from Stephen Curry. And here’s Westbrook from the arc. Hits the three-point foul. Westbrook’s got five points now in the quarter. Both teams running perimeter oriented plays that are working. Well, you know, it’s become a three-point shooting league. Teams shooting a steady diet from outside. Curry gets the bucket. I mean, he is so lethal on the drive. Once Curry knives inside, there’s little you can do to stop him. For Denver, they’ve gone just a bit under 50% from the field since halftime. Five out of 11. Gordon against Butler outside Gordon. Back to Murray. Shot clock at six. The Warriors pull it in. Oh, and here we go. Green’s got it. The fast break chance. Count it. And he’ll have a chance for a threepoint play. That one on Porter. This is what separates Green from most bigs. A point forward who excels at passing. The Warriors have been coming through at the charity strike. They’ve made seven of their eight attempts. Moses Moody. He’s checked in for Draymond Green. free throw good. Pajki. The Nuggets trail by five. Murray the pass to Joic outside West. Now here’s Murray. over Curry. The Warriors pull it in. Butler’s got six rebounds now in the game. Curry on the wing outside. Kinga back to Curry and he converts the layup. Curry’s got 38 points. See now that layup isn’t possible without the help of the P. Denver’s gone 307 from three-point range here in quarter number three. Murray sets a screen for Gordon. Six on the shot clock. Pass to Joic. Joic draws the double. Idle open here for Murray. Good. And the assist goes to Joic. Joic has got six assists in the game. Curry against Murray. Outside. Curry. Inside. Butler. The fader. off the left rim and out. The Nuggets trail by four. Here’s Westbrook and oh boy, a lot of contact there, but he gets the call and will shoot two. And one thing about Westbrook, he does not have a quiet presence. You know, he’s out there at every moment and his production speaks volumes. shooting two. That free throw no good out of heel. He’s checked in for Brandon Pajki and then for Denver. Shar has checked in for Aaron Gordon and it’s Peyton Watson in for Jamal M. and he can’t get the second one to drop either. Come up empty that time. Now here’s Moody. He’s covered by Westbrook. Curry kicks the butt. Kaminga against Sharic. Here’s Curry with the three. Trains it from beyond the arc. Curry’s got 41. Yeah, that’s a nice dish. A lot of times the best way to put the ball in the right spot is with that bounce pass. The Nuggets trail by seven. Pass to Porter. A three. Good. Nice assist from Westbrook. Westbrook’s got his seventh assist in the game. Matching baskets from the perimeter. An earmark of today’s game. Yeah, sometimes you get in a shootout like this, but you just hope that you can get a stop first. Now here’s Kaminga. Top drop. Moody. Golden State moving the ball around while they’re passing a heel. Kaminga with a wideopen look. Misses the three. The Nuggets have gone seven to 15 from the field here in the third quarter. Watson kicks to Weston. Pass to Charge. Porter with it now. Joic just five on the clock and stolen by Butler. It’s three on three on the fast break. Curry outside. Good on the three-point shot. Curry’s got 44. And guys, what do you think about the hustle stats here for the Warriors? Well, they’ve shown just outstanding effort defensively and it’s resulted in several forced turnovers. And one other thing they have done well has been scoring in transition. Looking to run whenever they can go inside and the call on the shot that sends him to the line. The Nuggets have had 12 attempts at the line making eight so far. And if we want to take a look back, they converted about 76% from the line. Take a break. Take a break. Two shots. Free throw drops for Watson. Christian Browns checked in for the Nuggets. Both free throws good from Watson. They play the clock right. They can go two for one. Just got to time it up right and it’s Curry at the elbow. Westbrook with the steal and the Nuggets pushing it up now. And Watson has it in the corner outside. Porter Shards looking around. The absolute fearlessness. It’s why we love Westbrook, just getting after it and drawing the contact. These are his third and fourth free throw attempts of the game. You know, this is not an area where they expect him to contribute. You know, he’s a guy that shot below 70% last season. That one is off. and the second free throw. Good. Here’s Curry. He’s got 44 over Westbrook. The 15-footer. Good. Curry’s got 46 points. I mean, what can we say about Steph’s jumper that hadn’t already been said? Here’s Westbrook. The kick out to Porter. A three-pointer, no good. It’s been all about Stephen Curry for the Warriors. They kept going to him again and again, and he delivered with a monster quarter. We’ll take a quick break and then back to the action here. And I know I speak for all of us when I say I can’t wait to see what kind of finish awaits us here in the fourth quarter. And so it’s Murray with it. He brings it up for the Denver Nuggets. So out there for the Nuggets right now, Aiden Watson is out there with Charge. Then there’s Murray. Then there’s Russell Westbrook. And it’s Brown in at the three, the small forward. Charge in the corner. Shot clock at six. Can’t hit from the corner. Well, that’s a shot the defense felt like they could live with and it worked out for him that time. This one for three. Kinga. No good. Well, he wants to shoot his way out of this cold spell, but the struggles continue. Yeah, I get it. But you don’t want him forcing things. It’s better to get your shots within the flow of the offense. Here’s Curry. Kaminga sends a screen for Curry. Fires away from outside. Charge grabs the board. Yeah. And you could tell he thought that triple was going to fall. It counts and the foul. That one is on heels. And the defense should know Westbrook will not back down. He goes right into the defender and gets a chance for an and one. One shot. A few possessions into the fourth quarter. Just over a minute played. Healed the pass to Moody. Here’s Post. And here is Kinga. It’s Curry outside. Gets it to go from beyond the ark. Curry’s got 49 points in the game. Defensively, you can’t back off him that much. You don’t want to give up easy threes at this stage of the game. Watson inside. Kaminga on him. He had the defender all over it. Shooting two. And he can’t get the first one. And he sinks the second. Curry with it. Kinga screen on Murray. The shot by Curry. No good. The Nuggets trail by three. Pass to Murray. at the top of the key. Westbrook charge in the corner. Curry against Murray. Outside Westbrook. Two on the clock and another miss by Denver. And you know they wanted that one to go down. Yeah, they really wanted that bucket to go. You can’t get discouraged though. Here’s Post. down low outside. Kuminga three-pointer heel. Denver grabs the miss left side. Westbrook. Murray outside. Here’s Brown defended by Moody. And the thing about Westbrook, everything he does is explosive. I mean, so difficult to contain. Shooting two. The free throw drops for Russell Westbrook. And the Warriors making a change here. Pompeki’s checked in. And so he hits both around three minutes gone here in the fourth quarter. Pass to Moody. Golden State moving the ball around. Kaminga dishes to Curry and the Warriors miss again. Denver’s gotten off to an 0 for two start from downtown here in the fourth quarter outside West to take the lead. Penski grabs the board. The Warriors have gone just one or six from the field to start the fourth quarter. A bit of a slowdown for them right now. Outside Curry outside. Kinga to the middle. Got a piece of it. It’s stolen by Sharks. Westbrook with it. And Curry picks him up defensively and he gets the whistle. Two free throws coming up. Take a break. Take a break. Two shots. And it’s tied up with that one. Denver making a switch here. Gordon’s checked in. And that drops. So they now lead by one. Golden State’s gotten some tough luck from three-point range. In the fourth quarter, they’ve hit just one of six from deep. Pass to Curry to end the drought. And another one falls that gives him 51. Making it look easy. And so it’s Murray with it. He brings it up for the Denver Nuggets. They’ve only given up five points here in the fourth quarter. Now here’s Westbrook. And here’s Gordon outside West. Six to shoot. Here’s Murray. Count the bucket. Coming off a perfectly placed assist. And the Nuggets lead by one. And guys, all about hard work from this point on. They’ve worked hard to create that high quality shot and then able to knock it down. Now here’s Curry pass to post. Now here’s Kaminga defended by Gordon Curry outside and again for three burries his 10th triple of the game. Unbelievable. Nuggets have gone three of six from the field so far in the fourth quarter. on the wing. Murray guarded by Kirk jacks up a three and it’s Jamal Murray with the three. Both teams running perimeter oriented plays that are working. Well, you know, it’s become a three-point shooting league. Teams shooting a steady diet from outside. Curry way outside and he can’t answer back. the three-pointer offline. Now here’s Westbrook. Defense right on him. Laid in with a nice touch off the glass. And now it’s a three-point Nugget lead. And it’s the Warriors with the ball. Pass to post. Curry against Murray. Yet another bucket. He’s been absolutely ridiculous in this game. You get the sense he just can’t miss. Nuggets have gone five of eight shooting as we’ve come down the home stretch in this final quarter. Charge inside and Moody pulls it down. The Warriors are gone. Four of 10 here in the final period. Not the time to go cold. Kick it out. Kick it out. Back to PJsky and the officials calling for a 3second violation. Sometimes the action speeds up on you a little too much. Two teammates not on the same wavelength there. A different look for Denver. Joic. He’s checked in for Charich and Porter subbed in for Christian Brown. Denver in the lead. Now here’s Murray to the inside and Westbrook gets it to go on the assist by Murray. Westbrook’s got 15 points in just the second half. Warriors shooting 40% in the fourth. Outside Curry. No good with the triple. The Nuggets leading by three. Murray left side outside. West score the basket. His eighth. Eight for 13 from the floor. Yeah. And you have to love how hard Westbrook goes. It’s what allows him to take over games like this. Smart anchor passes, Greg, are really paying off for them at the moment. And also good offball movement. Everyone is paying attention and looking to create the best shot for the team. Now here’s Butler and stolen by Gordon. Lob pass to Gordon and then Gordon with the duck. Oh, phenomenal alleyoop slam there. They are taking advantage of a team that looks lost out there. Warriors trail by seven. Green bounce pass outside curve and stolen by Murray. Basket number eight is all good. He’s attempted 12 shots. And guys, let’s get your take on the hustle stats for Denver. Well, they’ve shown just outstanding effort defensively and it’s resulted in several forced turnovers. And not just that, they’re also forcing turnovers at a high rate and taking advantage in transition. And so Steve Kerr calls for the timeout and he wants to see some changes out there right away and right now. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Christian Browns checked in for Russell Westbrook. And while we’ve got a moment, let’s send it over to our terrific reporter, David Aldridge. David, hey guys, I was able to catch the message Steve Kerr gave to his team. Now, coach challenged him. He said, “This goes beyond this game. Show me how much heart you have for the season. Fight until the final buzzer, guys. Back to you.” Thank you, David. Green finds Payton to the paint. And free throws have never really been an issue for Butler. Makes a living at the line. First one falls for it. And it’s been an outstanding game for them at the free throw line, not missing their chances when they get them. And so Butler nails both of them. Denver leading by seven. Pass to Brown. Here’s Gordon. Murray surveying the D. Fires the three. Here’s Joic. The slam by Joic. Oh, that’s just too easy for Joic. This is why defensively you’ve got to get him away from the basket. Warriors shooting it up around 51%. They’re getting good looks. Murray against Curry outside. Butler to Curry and again no good by Golden State. And I was sure that was money on that one, but everyone is afforded an easy miss or two. Yeah, it was a great look. Sometimes they don’t fall. You’ve just got to keep taking great shots. Putting that pass right in his stride. Didn’t have to slow up and was able to complete the play. Green with a screen for Curry. 13 ft away and another one. And this game has his name written all over it. Greg, he’s been phenomenal. An offensive onslaught. Denver passing it around and Hil slams it in. Not surprised at all. He’s shooting it well and scoring points in bunches. Warriors trail by 11. Here’s Curry. And again, make that 61 points. Yep. Everything is going his way right now. Pass to Yic over Green. The Warriors pull it in. Butler’s got seven rebounds in the game. And that’ll be two free throws coming up. Officials on the call with the foul. And look at Butler playing tricks, using that pump fake move to great effect. He hits the first one and that narrows the gap to seven. He’s off on the free throw unable to get that second one to drop in. And that’s a situation where you must make them all to get back into the game. pass to Joic and foul on the shot. He’ll shoot two at the free throw line and it goes on Draymond Green and it’s a challenge trying to guard Joic from there. Adept at making you foul him on the way up. Big break. Big break. Two shot. So, the first one drops and that stretches their lead to eight. And so both free throws are good and it’s a nine-point ball game here. Golden State running out of time outside. Curry pulls up on the elbow and he buries that one drilling the rim on the way down. Well, maybe the defense thinks they can live with that, but he’s pretty consistent from that mid-range area. Denver’s gotten just one of four three-pointers to go down for them here in the fourth. 105 left in the game. It’s stolen by Green. This has reached desperation time for him. It’s not going to be easy now. They’re going to need just about everything to go right from this point on. Now here’s Joic after the miss from Stephen Curry. Joic passes to Brown into the lane. Right on the bucket. See now that layup isn’t possible without the help of the P. Timeout called the Warriors. They trail by nine. Turning here to our analysts. What factors guys come to your mind? And you know what? They’re not ready to give up yet. They’ll try to intentionally foul if they can get a quick hoop. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. A three off the inbound. Denver grabs the miss right side. Porter. It’s tipped. Butler with the ball and it’s Gordon picking him up. About 7 seconds separating the shot and game clocks. Outside Curry over Murray and Brown pulls it down. Now Murray. So, the Nuggets win it. A solid win on the road for them. This building was dead silent by the time GA this one wound down. And that’s what you want to do. Take the crowd out of it by crunch time. Don’t give them any chance to lift their team up at the finish. It’s time now to go courtside as we send you over to David Aldridge from the sideline. David, take it away. Thanks, guys. Aaron, big night offensively. What is clicking for everyone right now? We’re just moving the ball. We’re moving the ball there and that’s a a big part of our offense, making sure the ball doesn’t stick and then people making shots. It was really flowing tonight, man. Congrats on the win. Back to you. Much appreciated, David. And that about wraps it up. So now for Greg Anthony, Stan Van Gundy, and David Aldridge, this is Kevin Harland saying thanks for watching. And as we leave you, we give you our player of the game, Nola Joic. Well, the center position is obviously a point of strength for both of these teams. Bren, do you believe BA that these guys are coming in and not thinking about that very same thing? These guys want to test each other tonight and you wonder whoever gets the best of the other guy, will that elevate the next couple weeks of play for them in terms of their confidence. So, a big man battle. Let’s keep a close eye on it. A look at the starting group here for Denver. Brown and Porter Jr. are the two and the three. Gordon and Joic together in the middle. And it’s Murray in at the one. And you really want to step up and try to make Porter make a move right there. The three ball look easy. Now here’s Curry. Puts up a three and that’s good. His first bucket of the game. These teams are finding the range. Showing a lot of confidence. It seems like they’re going to find out who can make the deepest threes. Right now it’s a shootout. Murray passes to Gordon. Picked by Murray. Here’s Brown. Defended by Pajimsky on the wing. Porter. Out of bounds. It’ll go to the Warriors. And it’s Butler with the ball for the Warriors. All right, let’s get a report from Alli. I had a chance to catch up with Steve Kirk and I asked him about their matchup against the multipletime MVP Nola Joic. He told me, quote, “JookIC is going to find a way to impact the game. We just need to make it tough on him. We have to bring the physicality and be cognizant of other guys cutting to the rim. We’ll see how their defense holds up.” BA, thank you for that, Ally. And we’re about a minute and a half into the first quarter. Curry passes to Green. defended by Murray. Murray against Curry. Shot clock at six. Soft touch off the glass. Curry’s got five now. That’s tremendous balance. Steph’s ability to keep his composure in that tough situation. Work in a tight space. That’s impressive. Here’s Murray. Pass to Joic. and and the first quarter of action. Two minutes in. Porter shot is off. The Warriors have gone two of three from the floor to the inside. Outside for Butler. A chance there to take the lead, but a miss. And while Nicole Joic has lots of years left in this league, he’s already an all-time great. You know, BA, not many guys have won multiple MVPs and a title, but Joic has already accomplished so much. And with his size and skill set, Jokic can be elite for a long time and add to that impressive resume. And it’s the Warriors with the ball following the score by Denver. And Steve Kerr calls timeout here. We might see him looking to make some tweaks to the strategy here. Butler taking his time here. Here’s Payton on target from range. Just a great setup there. You can see how Jimmy Butler enjoys making plays. Yic with a screen on Curry. Murray shot is good and setting the tempo with an assertive move. Like where was the defense on that play? Yeah, APB sent out to try to find out where the defense is. Inexcusable and so it’s Curry with it. He brings it up for Golden State. They trail by one outside. Butler Green with a screen on Gordon. Butler passes to Green on the wing. Curry just four to shoot over Murray. Curry shot is off. Well, he’s a guy they count on to produce from the mid-range. He doesn’t miss too many open looks from there. And Gordon with the big finish. Great timing, but Aaron Gordon’s going to make any lob look good. The Warriors have gone three of six from the floor. Outside Butler outside Pajki back to Butler and there’s the screen. Five on the clock and stolen by Murray. It’s a one-on-one situation. Brown shot is good. And Murray with an instinctual play there. He has that ability. He can see the play. It evolves and then he makes a quick decision. Warriors trail by five. Butler passes to Peyton. Now here’s Pajki. Tight defense on him. Butler against Gordon. Six on the shot clock. Butler with the ball. Still without a bucket. Outside Porter pass to Joic. Here’s Brown and it’s good. Fought through contact. Hit the shot and will go to the line. He’s getting his first free throw attempt of the game here. And when you look back at the 2023 draft, the Warriors got great value out of their picks. Yeah. I mean, they got Pajimsky with the 19th pick, a versatile player who impacts the game at both ends. And they also got Trace Jackson Davis late in the second round. And he is a fundamentally sound big man with great upside. Warriors trail by eight. Left side. Pajki. Kaitton finds Curry inside. Green that drops and it comes off an assist from Curry. Now Draymond’s energy. Guess what? It’s here. It’s in the game right now and he’s attacking. Murray passes to Gordon. Porter a screen. There’s the triple. They get the rebound. They kick it out to Murray. Pure from three-point range. Murray’s got five points. Defensively, you have to stay connected to him on the perimeter. And Steve Kerr calls timeout here. He wants to make sure everybody’s on the same page. Heat. Heat. The Nuggets making a switch here. Westbrooks checked in. And Curry’s got the ball here for Golden State. Nine-point game outside. Pajki to the middle. Here’s Butler. Rebounded by Denver. He’s so good at getting to the rim. Maybe tries to get a little bit too cute with that one. I thought he’d lay it straight up and in. Now here’s Gordon outside. Porter Joic with a screen on Peyton. And here’s Porter outside and no good. The Warriors have gone four of 10 shooting the rock in this first quarter. Outside Pajki. down low. Here’s Payton. Count the basket. Payton’s got five points. Those interior passes can be dangerous sometimes, but if the timing is good and you execute it there, you can get easy hoops. And here’s Denver. They’re on a 12 to4 run. Westbrook. The pass to Joic to the paint in low and it’s Westbrook that time on the assist by Gordon. And what you expect from Russell is that right there. Find a way to get into the lane and make something happen. Warriors trail by nine. Here’s Green and it’s hammered home by Green. The big time throwd down. Check him out. Keeps the grip on that rim after the finish. A little extra emphasis. Denver has gone two for four from range to start things off. Murray finds Westbrook. Joic in the post. Butler covering the put back. Controls the rebound and the put back. Yeah, Joic getting up there to the rim. Teammates love to see him doing that. outside. Pajki Green with a screen on Westbrook. Now here’s Pajki. Pounded by Westbrook. Clock is at three. Here’s Payton. Denver grabs the miss. Joic has got his seventh rebound here tonight. Pass to Westbrook. Back to Joic. inside. Here’s Porter. And then Porter with the dunk. So far, they’re owning both ends of the floor. We’ll see if they can keep this going. Like tonight, that all the hustle plays have meant so much to this team. Now, just sustain some of that energy and keep comfortable. Here’s Pajki. Denver getting their last shot to go. Curry shot is off. Westbrook taking his time here. Pass to Joic and there it is for him. He has six. They’ve shown so much energy right from the start, particularly on the offensive end. Yeah, if you walked in at any point during this game to watch five minutes of play, one team played harder. We know who that was. And it’s the Warriors with the ball. Denver getting their last shot to go. Well, that’s not a shot he’s ever going to pass up. And he shouldn’t. Despite the miss, no defender anywhere near him. He’s got to shoot that one. and the former league MVP in 2017. A long list of accomplishments for Russell Westbrook, Brent. Well, how many times BA have we seen players celebrated in the way that Russell has been as one of the best players in the league move and transition to a role off the bench. He’s done it with a lot of grace, a lot of class, and has been very accepting of his new role. Here’s Curry. Denver getting their last shot to go outside. Payton, they need this. Curry with another miss. The Nuggets lead by 15. Pass to Murray. Gordon against Butler. Now Westbrook. The Nuggets need to get one up. And stolen by Green. Peyton with it. He’s picked up by Westbrook. Payton against Westbrook. Outside Green. Pass to Curry. Pulls up and that one’s good. And Green with the assist. Curry’s got seven. Curry doing it again. One of the quickest releases we’ve ever seen. Joic against Green. And the foul called on Draymond Green. That’s his first foul of the game. Watson, he’s checked in for Gordon. There’s a minute 54 left in the first quarter. Here’s Murray. It’s deflected and they’re able to recover. Joic gets the bucket and it’s Butler with the ball for Golden State. Down by 15. Outside heel. Back to Butler. And there’s the rejection. Murray against heel. Right side, Murray. Watson, nice dish and the layup goes down. And taking a quick gander here at the hustle stats for the Nuggets. Yeah, I love the energy and aggressiveness I’ve seen from them on defense. They’re really getting after it with all these blocks. Well, one thing that’s noticeable is just tremendous energy from everybody and they put that into their transition play and all that hustle is paying off. And Kuminga throws it down. Got to love the effort there. An unders size four who can really make things happen with that leaping ability. And here’s Westbrook pass to Joic and he’s going to the line for two. The officials saw contact while he was going up. Joic doing a better job there of using his body inside and getting the angle then finds his way to the line. Grant, the Denver Nuggets have been on quite the run here in this window of time. Yeah, NBA, it’s all working for Denver in recent years. This is a well constructed team that they play as a unit and it makes it so difficult to try to get the best of them. The free throw drops for Joic. Well, it’s so hard to try to defend Joker. You never know what it is that he’s going to do. And because of that great vision, he’s got great counter. Stephen Curry, he’s checked in for Jimmy Butler. And a switch here also for Denver. Charich checked in. So he gets them both. Warriors trail by 17. Now here’s Heel. No points so far. They set the screen. This one for three. Hits the trifecta. Still the strongest part of Buddy Heield’s game. He is a lethal shooter. What a perfect stroke that was. There’s a 4second difference from the shot clock and the game clock. Pass to Joic. Joic is doubled. Back to Westbrook. The three. Kaminga pulls it in. Moody from outside. Another three for Golden State. It’s been all about Nola Joic for the Nuggets. He had solid production this quarter with scoring and rebounding. We’ll be right back. We welcome you back to second quarter action. Plenty of basketball left to play, but this one has been one-sided so far and a very convincing performance so far for the Nuggets. Yeah, showing grit on the glass is a good way to gain an advantage. They control the boards in the first. Well, if you get physical out there, you can control the glass and that helps you to control the pace of the game. Warriors trail by 11. On the court for Denver, we’ve got Michael Porter. Dario Sharich is out there with Peyton Watson. Then there’s Russell Westbrook. And it’s Strawler in at the two guard spot. Outside Heel fires for three and drops and it comes off an assist from Curry. He’s got six. These quick hitting plays are great for a quick set shooter. Healed scoring now. Westbrook. Five to shoot. Takes a three. The rebound by Post. Golden State has gone five of 10 from beyond the three-point line in this game. Here’s Curry. rebounded by Denver. You won’t see him miss that one too many times. Yeah, that happens. Important thing is for players, just don’t beat yourself up and make a miss like that cost you another play. Now, here’s Westbrook. He gets the shot to fall and the defender wasn’t set. He’s called for the block. A three-point opportunity here. Denver shooting their fourth attempt at the line tonight. Browns checked in for Denver. That one misses for Westbrook. All right, Brent. In an ideal world, if you’re team building and you have the ability to build around a type of superstar, what would that look like for you? Well, BA, the game has changed so much. We we see that the most valuable players now today are big wings that can handle the physical rigors of both ends of the floor, playing offense and defense, and have the ball in their hands and create advantage every time they touch the ball, whether they’re scoring it or making plays for their teammates. But the biggest factor is this guy has to motivate and ingratiate himself to the rest of the team. Those are true highlevel championship caliber players. Porter the pass to Watson. The Warriors pull it in. Post has got his fourth rebound in this one. Now here’s Heel guarded closely. Pass to Moody. Curry with it. Heel from outside. Watson with a rebound. Here’s Brown guarded by Heel. The fadeaway. Count it. All three of his attempts have gone in. He was wide open, but just to make sure he put a little fade on that jumper. And so Curry will bring it up for Golden State. It’s a 10-point game. Pass to post. Moody with it. Quarters there. Moody. Passes to He off target from three-point range. Given his range, you’d expect him to capitalize on that opening. Now here’s Porter. Here’s Brown guarded by Heel to the middle. Second chance effort and it’s laid up and in by Westbrook. Westbrook’s got four points now in the quarter. And there he is. I mean, attacking the boards, converting off the misses. I mean, trying to do everything he can to secure this W. I just don’t see how you climb back into the game when you’re allowing plays like that to happen. Extra work on the offensive glass. And in the second quarter, a little under three and a half minutes played already. Now a timeout called by Denver. And things are always changing throughout a game. Teams have to adjust on the fly. And timeouts are a wonderful opportunity to just settle in and recollect the thoughts of your entire team. Not just the guys playing, but the entire team. Green’s checked in for the Warriors. Pajimky comes in for Heield. And Denver with a change here, too. Murray’s checked in for Watson. Just under three and a half minutes played here in the second quarter. Outside Murray, rebounded by Green. Warriors trail by 10. Well, Grant, when you think of Jamal Murray and all he’s been through, health is of utmost importance for him. Oh, extremely important, BA, because when Murray is healthy, he’s a lethal player and a huge part of this team’s success. Now, here’s PMKI. No made baskets yet. Four on the clock. Here’s Curry. And there’s another one for the Warriors. Well, those mechanics and that kind of time, that’s pretty stuff from Steph Curry. Murray against Curry. Char screen on Curry to the inside. Here’s Brown. Moody defends. Curry from outside. The Nuggets with another miss. Yeah, you know, he usually makes you pay from that range. Here’s Curry. Nine points in the game. Outside. Moody outside. Pajimki. Shoots over Char. The shot by Pajimky. No good. The Nuggets lead by eight. Outside. Porter. Pass to Murray. Charich a screen pulls it. Curry can’t get that one to fall. The Warriors have gotten four of eight shots to drop in the second. Now Kaminga back to Curry. Moody from outside and it’s good. Assisting on the play was Curry. Curry’s got his fourth assist in this one. Oh, very clever from Curry there attracting the defense and then just giving it away. Now here’s Murray. He’s got five. Porter gets the bucket. Porter’s got seven. One of the more skilled offensive players that is on the floor here tonight. Not an easy fella to hold in check. Down low. Here’s Kuminga. Kuminga just a menace inside. There are only a few players who can hit a teammate like that in stride. Beautiful assist. Now a timeout called by Denver. What a rookie year for Brandon Pimsky. A seamless transition into the league. You talk about a guy who could come in and contribute right away. I remember the stretch last year. He had three straight games with double doubles without a turnover. Now that’s some heady play for a rookie. Padzmski. He’s got a great calmness and a great demeanor about him, but always willing to make the next play. And the Warriors make some changes. Jimmy Butler’s checked in for Kaminga. And Payton is subbed in for Moody. Joic is checked in for the Nuggets. Watson comes in for Porter Jr. So, it’s Denver now. 17 points was their biggest margin. Now, here’s Westbrook defended by Pajimsky. And so, it’s Curry with it. He brings it up for the Warriors. Trailing by five. Back to Pajki. Green with a screen on Joic. Here’s Pajki. And it’s off from three-point range. Denver has gone 0 for two from outside in the second quarter. Here’s Murray. That falls. Nice feed from Joic. Joic has got seven assists in the game. Tight handle for Murray. He knows how to create space for that shot. Now here’s Curry. He’s got nine right side. Green pass to Pajimsky outside. Payton picked it out of midair. Here’s Brown and he lays it in off the breakaway and it’s a nine-point Nugget lead. Golden State has gone two of five from distance here in the second quarter. outside. Curry. Six to shoot. Oh, Curry doing what he does best. Yeah, it doesn’t matter. I mean, once Steph Curry crosses half court, you’re in trouble. Westbrook outside. Pass to Joic. Over Green. Jokic no good. Warriors trail by six. Crosses over. Oh, Curry just weaving his way through traffic. Still knocks it in. He could score on you in bunches. Curry doing it all in this one. Murray with it. He has seven. And here’s Joic. And here’s Murray. And they double up. Yic. Launches it. Brown. Shot is good. Brown’s got 12 points. And that’s what he’s known for, right? His ability to scan the floor and find open guys. Outside Curry. Pass to Pajimsky. Green with a screen on Westbrook. There’s Pajimsky and he can’t answer back. The three-pointer offline. The Nuggets lead by seven. Murray inside. He’s covered by Curry. Counted. Murray’s got four points this quarter. Well, you give up any kind of space like that to Jamal Murray, even from the mid-range. He’ll torch you. Outside Peyton. Back to Curry. Over Murray. Curry’s shot is off. Denver has gone one for three from downtown here in the second. Murray inside, defended by Pajimsky. Murray no good. In transition, here come the Warriors. It’s Curry all the way. Sprinting down the floor is the key to a great fast break. And Steph putting on the afterburners there. Well, the Nuggets shooting 44% from the field during the second. Pass to Joic. Back to Murray. And that basket makes him five for 10. Steady production so far. They’re punishing those late defensive rotations. Getting good looks inside throughout the half. Warriors trail by nine. Outside Pajki. Back to Curry. Outside Butler. Green. A screen. Butler going in strong and down it goes. Two points. They got up to speed and that momentum carrying him right through the contact. Butler with the score. Westbrook outside. Back to Murray. Pass to Joic. So, it’ll be two free throws. He was fouled in the act of shooting. It’s going to go on Draymond Green. And if you’re a defender and you’re leaning just a little bit, Joic is going to take advantage of you. This is his second trip to the free throw line in this one. And something I remember from their last outing, he was excellent at the charity strike. The free throw drops for Joic. Heels checked in for Pajimsky. Gordon, he’s checked in for Denver. Porter Jr. comes in for Russell Westbrook and Yic drops them both. He’s one of the league’s best free throw shooting bigs. A performance like this certainly proves it. Curry looking it over. The three ball. Porter pulls it in. Porter’s got six rebounds in the game. Murray against Peyton. And it’s Murray finishing it off. And Murray gets creative around the basket that time. Dynamic off the bounce. Warriors trail by 11. outside Butler. 107 left in the first half of this one. Oh, and there’s the whistle on the shot. So, two free throws for him coming up. These are his first free throws of the game. Take a break. Take a break. Two shots. He misses the free throw. Buddy Heel just has such an incredibly quick trigger. But checked in for the Warriors. He hits the second from the line. 102 left in the first half. Murray passes to Joic and they double up Joic and he loves it up top and Gordon with the big finish. And you can see Aaron Gordon just lights up when he has chances like that to throw it down. There’s 45 seconds left in the second period. Outside heel. Back to Butler. Oh, Butler. What a dunk. Good passing in the paint may be even more important to an offense than great passing on the perimeter. Those are areas where you got to be careful. The Nuggets lead by 10. Murray looking around. Pass to Joic. Joic is doubled. Porter from outside. The shot is good on the assist by Joic. Porter’s got five points in the quarter. You set him up. Porter’s going to knock him down. and he’s a terrific shooter who can do some damage from anywhere from 11 ft away. And there’s another one for the Warriors. And so here is Denver. 17 points was their biggest margin. Porter from outside. No good. Would have counted had it gone. And so it’s Denver. They lead by 11 as the quarter comes to a close. Just pounding the painted area. That’s helped them build an advantage. Time for a quick break, then back to the action. Heat. Heat. And as we dive into the second half, we’ll find out if the next two quarters are any different from the first two. So far, it’s been a runaway. Man, it’s been quite a game for Stephen Curry. Can they come up with an answer for him coming out of the half? They have to change something defensively. Yeah, just way too easy out there. And I’m sure coach is going to make that a priority at halftime. And it’s the Warriors with the ball. 11-point game. Curry and Pods make up the back court. Jimmy Butler out there with Draymond Green. And it’s Payton in at the small forward. And that’s the group for Steve Cerr as we begin the second half. Curry no good. And so it’s Murray who brings up the ball for Denver. Pass to Joic. Back to Murray. Jacks up a three. That falls. Nice feed from Joic. Murray’s got 16 points now. Well, when he’s feeling it, Jamal Murray is going to find some way to get to that range and knock it down. And the Warriors shooting 52% from the floor so far. Payton with a screen on Gordon. Gordon against Butler and it’s Jimmy Butler with the foul. That’s his first foul of the game. And this kind of selflessness is great to see. Textbook positioning to draw the charge. Denver leading by 14. Murray up top. He’s covered by Curry. And here’s Porter outside. Warriors with the rebound. You really suffocated him there, guys. Just excellent work. Here’s Butler outside. Pajki pass to Curry. Lets it fly. It’s hauled in by Nicole Joic. Joic has got nine rebounds now. And he’s going for the oop here. And Gordon with the big finish. Joic for a guy that size, he does just such a great job of moving the ball. A great conduit for the offense. 90 seconds into the second half now. Curry passes to Green. Now Butler defended by Gordon. Butler against Gordon. Down to five on the shot clock. Butler, he’s too much close to the rim. And Butler just taking that motion right through contact. Denver has gone one of two shooting from the perimeter since halftime. Brent, you think about Jimmy Butler, great in the regular season, even better in the playoffs. Yeah, extremely tough. I mean, he has grit and resilience, but tough minded in the toughest moments. And that’s where his teammates rely on him. Jimmy Butler shows up big come playoff time. Now here’s Payton. He’s got five outsideky. The three from Curry. Oh, Curry. A sick triple. I mean, just so easy for Curry to get that three off. Beautiful shot. Gordon on the wing. Murray. A screen on Butler. Pass to Brown. Murray up top. He’s covered by Curry from 20 ft and he gets the friendly roll as that one goes. Murray’s got five points in the quarter. Toughest thing to cover in the game and Jamal Murray making it difficult on that play in the pick and roll. Green in the post working on Joic. Good D by Joic on the wing. Murray Butler covering inside out to Gordon. Three-pointer. The rebound by Payton. Warriors trail by 13 to the inside. Butler and it’s Butler with the jam on the attack. Jimmy Butler playing with that edge. Pass to Brown. Curry with a steal all alone on the break. Oh, he gets it to fall and that makes it just a single-digit deficit. Curry’s got 21. Doing what he can to help shrink the deficit, but it has to be a team effort. The Nuggets lead by nine. Here’s Brown outside quarter. Gordon outside. Joic the screen. Shot is good by Gordon. Gordon’s got 10. Aaron Gordon is one springy dude. When he gets the ball down low, it’s hard to stop him. The Warriors have gotten four of seven shots to drop in the third. Green with a screen on Murray. And here’s Curry for three. Knocks down the triple. They’re making smart adjustments, setting guys up for success. The possession just way more efficient, I think, here tonight. Taking smarter, better shots, moving the ball around. That’s helped them to get back in the ball game. Now, here’s Joic. He’s got 14. And here’s Porter outside. The shot is good on the assist by Joic. He’s got 13. Love the answer right there from Porter Jr., a dead eyee sniper from outside. Pass to Curry. Green against Joic. Oh, and he got fouled on his way up. He’ll head to the line to shoot two. It’s on Nola Joic. And guys, let’s get your take on the scoring breakdown for the Nuggets. Well, the coaching staff has to love what they’re seeing on offense. There’s so many assists because how this team is moving the ball. Well, we’ve also seen them being very aggressive down in the paint. All game long, they’ve been hunting down those inside points. He’s off on the first. And let’s talk about Draymond Green for a moment. Certainly one of the most outspoken players in the league, Brent. Well, Draymond has never held back, whether he’s talking about his opinion or the way that he sees the game, which is remarkable and a revelation to his intelligence as a defender on the floor. Draymond Green has been special on the defensive end throughout his career. I mean, so much glue in this guy as Draymond focuses on making all the winning plays that he possibly can. Here’s Brown defended by Pimsky. And here’s Porter outside and again another assist that makes 15 assists. He has been one step ahead of the defense all game long. Outside Pajki outside Butler outside Pajki fires the three. Gets the three ball to go. But Jimky’s gotten himself going with a triple, his first basket of the game. And both teams running long range plays that are working. Well, both of them looking towards the three-point line. And I like to see that, especially when the results are made buckets. Warriors trail by 10. Left side. Payton to the middle. Here’s Green. Oh, Green just outworking the competition. Just Draymond’s overall strength on the inside to get in there and find his way to a tough basket in the paint. Denver has gone seven for 17 from three-point range so far in this matchup. Timeout called the Nuggets. Let’s give coach credit. He’s trying to find a way to squeeze the most out of every possession. Got to feel good as a coach if you make all those adjustments. Pull the right strings. That’s what they love to do. Heat. Heat. And the Warriors making a change here. Kuminga’s checked in. Russell Westbrook. He’s checked in for the Nuggets. Murray passes to Porter. In the paint, Joic going off and Joic long enough to get to that ball and control it. Outside Pajki. Gordon against Butler. And so he draws the foul. Headed to the line to shoot a pair. Heading play to stop that easy layup right there. I mean, make him earn it at the line. It’s his first trip to the line. In their previous game, he simply couldn’t miss from the line. That free throw misses. Jimmy Butler and his energy is something that is infectious for his team. He gets his squad so energized to work through the toughest moments of the game. Good on the second one. And it’s Murray with the ball for the Denver Nuggets. 17 points was their biggest margin to the wing on the left. He’s got a clear path. Here’s Butler. Butler gets all the way to the cup. Well, out in transition, Jimmy Butler scanning the court, found an angle and does some damage. Now here’s Murray. 18 points for him. Pass to Yic. Westbrook with it. Outside Murray. Clock at six. Gordon with a screen on Curry. Here’s Murray. Rebounded by Green. Green’s got his seventh rebound of the game with that last one. Here’s Butler over Joic. Butler can’t get it to go. Practically a block. Good strong challenge. Yeah, altering the shot. Just as long as there’s a miss, that kind of energy not wasted. Warriors trail by seven. outside. Curry outside Pajimsky. Let’s go with a three. The rebound by Murray. Murray’s got a rebound number five here tonight. And he’s going for the lob. Oh, it’s stolen by Butler. Oh, and a fast break for the Warriors. Here’s Pajimki. And a great assist by Butler as that one goes. Pajimski’s got six points. The value of good ball movement isn’t lost on this squad. The Nuggets lead by four. To the paint. Here’s Porter. The Warriors pull it in. Green’s got nine rebounds in the game. Boy, he’s getting it done. Curry against Murray. Rejected by Joic. Not known as a shot blocker, but Joic smart enough to snip that one out and impact the field goal attempt. Back to Murray. Pass to Westbrook. Now here’s Joic. He’s watched by Kaminga to in the cold spell. And off the front iron and in it goes. Joic has got four points now in the quarter. And his fantastic performance from the last game has carried over to tonight. Yeah, and the coach pretty smart for zoning in on him and giving him opportunities to stay with that confident play. Outside Pajki now here’s Butler. Outside Kaminga. Uh-oh. Kaminga on the take and he banks in the layup. He has six. This guy Jimmy Butler not showing that he’s a ball stopper. Awareness finds the open man. Now a timeout called by Denver. And the players take this opportunity to get some Gatorade. Getting some fluids in you is so important during these timeouts. Get fresh. Keep those batteries charged. Yeah, without proper hydration, a player can completely run out of gas down the stretch of a ball game. And that’s something that none of these guys can afford to have happen. If you’re going to battle all the way to the finish, you have to be hydrated. Heat. Heat. Charich checks in for the Nuggets. Watson comes in for Murray. Denver leading by four. Westbrook outside. Joic with a screen on Kaminga. Back to Joic. Throw it down Nola. And I think Joic has decided I’m going to take over this game scoring wise. I don’t know how you say that in Serbian, but trust me. Golden State has gotten 12 of their points this quarter from deep. Four of six. Butler. A screen on Porter. Moody passes to Heield. Back to Moody. Shot clock at six. 43. Rebounded by Denver. Joic has got rebound number 13 tonight with that one. Another possession. Another assist. That’s another dime from him. He’s tallying them up fast. Ba Denver shooting their seventh attempt at the foul line in this one. One shot. Michael Porter Jr. just one of those guys that has a versatile scoring menu. Terrific at executing at all three levels. Here’s Butler. Takes the contact and delivers. Jimmy Butler. In the NBA, you just can’t let guys get to the rim. And it’s Westbrook with the ball for Denver. Pass to Joic. 136 left in the third quarter. The layup off target. Warriors trail by seven. Here’s Moody. Porter pulls it in. Porter’s got his seventh rebound of the game with that last one. And they double up Joic. Here’s Watson. The shot is good on the assist by Joic. Watson’s got five now. He’s going to punish you if you leave him open. He’s more than willing to take the open three when he’s got it. And the call will be against Nola Joic. That’s foul number two for him. And Denver making a change here. Naji’s checked in outside. Kaminga. It’s tipped. Six to shoot. Here’s Watson. Uses the glass on the layup. And now it’s a 12-point Denver lead. That kind of looks like a predictable shot. One that they want. The defense has to prevent the ball from getting into that sweet spot. Westbrook against Heield. Shot clock at five. The three is up. It’s hauled in by Nicole Yic. Denver leading by 12. Pass to Westbrook. There’s 21 seconds left in the third quarter of the game. Switch. Now here’s Joic. He’s closely guarded. Back to Westbrook over healed. Westbrook with the miss. fires from way outside. No good on the buzzer beater. And so it’s the Denver Nuggets now holding a 12-point lead at quarters end. They hold a real solid lead right now. Love their approach tonight. All right, we’ll get back to the action after this break. And there have been two very different performances from these teams today as we get going in quarter number four. Here’s Murray. On the court right now for the Nuggets, they’ve got Payton Watson, Russell Westbrook out there with Jamal Murray. Then there’s Dario Sharich. That is Brown in at the small forward position. Now here’s Curry. Oh, nice job in the paint from Curry. Curry so good at working the angles inside. Just adapting to the situation. The Nuggets lead by 10. Here’s Murray. No good there. Excellent D there from Kuminga. Healed against Westbrook. Outside Kuminga for three. Rebounded by Denver. Outside Murray. Pass to Westbrook. Outside Watson. Murray against Curry. Murray passes to Charich. His first shot attempt. Yes. And it’s Murray picking up the assist. Murray’s got his fifth assist in this one. Feel like for Charich that is his comfort zone. He makes the defense pay for not paying attention to him. Now here’s Curry outside. Moody fires from deep. Oh, Moody deadly from there. Well, if you came here looking for a scoring battle, I think you made the right choice. Yeah, both of these teams locked in on the offensive end. Going to be a highscoring affair tonight. Westbrook finds Murray. Back to Westbrook, shoots over Kaminga. Westbrook can’t hit. I mean, he’s trying to shoot his way out of what’s becoming a prolonged cold streak. Yeah, he’s got to move on. Forget about this sequence here and and try to find a way to get on the board. Here’s Post. Here’s Curry. Oh, Curry taking the contact. Those floaters, boy, they they really demoralize the defense. Here’s the thing. Steph knows it. Here’s Murray. We’re in the fourth quarter here. Just under two and a half minutes gone by. Westbrook outside from outside. Off the mark and so Curry will bring it up for Golden State. A great fourth quarter. Just give it up two points. Here’s Brown. He’s covered by Curry. Pass to Murray. Floats one. Deflected. Curry with it. He’s picked up by Westbrook. Curry passes to Heield. Back to Curry. And here is Kaminga. Here’s Post. Charich covers. Back to Moody. Golden State needs to get off a shot. Dominga shot is off. Denver leading by seven now. Westbrook. Charich outside from downtown. The rebound by Post. Golden State has gone one for three in the fourth quarter from Range. He with the ball. He’s against Watson. He passes to Kaminga. takes the three. Rebound by the Nuggets. 17 points was their biggest margin. Here’s Brown. He’s watched by Kuminga Westbrook. The pass to Charich. Pass to Brown. Hey, he’s now six for six. He is cooking right now. and Shahic just one of those European players that comes over with the fundamentals. Beautiful play there. Warriors trail by nine. Outside heel and here’s Curry for three. Knocks it down from distance. Curry’s got 15 points here in the second half. Easy look when the defender isn’t fighting over the screen. Yeah, the coach over there just asking for one simple thing and that’s some effort. got burned on that one. Now here’s Murray. Back to Watson. Pass to Murray. Clock at four. Here’s the three. A nice shot by Watson. And the Nuggets lead by nine. These teams are finding the range, showing a lot of confidence. It seems like they’re going to find out who can make the deepest threes. Right now it’s a shootout. Here’s Curry outside. Heel now. Kaminga. Heel finds Kaminga. There’s the block. Murray with it out to the right wing. Right here. Here’s Brown. Pass to Westbrook. lays it up and banks it in. And now an 11-point Nugget lead like a matador. Olay. There was no defense. That has to be one of the easier shots I’ve seen tonight. Yeah, feels like Christmas right now. Just gift drapping points. The three from Curry and they’ll get another chance. Right side heel and he loss it up. Oh, they get a hand on it. It’s stolen by Charich and it’s out of bounds. Last touch by Westbrook. Pajimski’s checked in for heel. Warriors trail by 11. Here’s Curry. Money on the 19footer. Curry’s got nine points now in the quarter. Just so fun to watch Steph Curry shoot a jump shot. It doesn’t get any better than watching this guy pull the trigger. Denver has gone only one of four from the perimeter here in this fourth quarter. Joic is double pass to Brown. Back to Joic and the rebound goes to the Warriors. Post has got rebound number 11. Pajimky with it. Back to Curry. The three. Sends it home from three-point land. Curry’s got 36 points. That’s one of the best three-point shooters. You got to try to scramble the Jets right here and get that guy off the sweet spot. Pass to Brown. Back to Westbrook. Now Gordon. Here’s Joic. And another miss by Denver. The Warriors have gotten six of 12 shots to go here in this fourth quarter. Moody passes to Kaminga. Outside Curry, six on the shot clock. Fires the three. And the Warriors with another three. And any decent look from distance, he’s taking it. He has that locked in mentality right now. seems to be taking it on his shoulders aggressively to shrink this lead. They really needed those points. Murray’s checked in for the Nuggets. Westbrook outside and again unable to change momentum here. Warriors trail by three. Butler finds Curry. Here’s Payton outside. Pajki to tie it up. Porter pulls it in. Porter’s got rebound number eight. Now Joic up top down low and Gordon with the big finish. And that is a merciless dunk coming from Aaron Gordon. And here’s Curry to the middle. Here’s Green. It’s called in by Nicole Yokic. Denver leading by five. Up top. Westbrook. Green covering. Pass to Gordon. Porter with it and the ball out of play. The Warriors will have it. Now, I’m all for the crowd interacting with the players, but not so much the players interacting with the crowd. That one errant pass. Browns checked in for Russell Westbrook. Golden State has gone four of nine from three-point range in the fourth. Outside Pajki, pass to Butler. Now here’s Pajki. And the Warriors miss again. And he almost made them regret defending him so loosely. To the inside. Here’s Yic. And the dunk by Joic. Oh, Joic attacking the rim and brings it down hard. Here’s Pimski. And here’s Curry. Green with a screen on Murray. And here’s Curry for three. Bails it from three. Curry’s got 42 in the game. Good work from Steph. Curry gets open and makes it look easy. Timeout. The Nuggets want a timeout. Let’s give coach credit. He’s trying to find a way to squeeze the most out of every possession. Got to feel good as a coach if you make all those adjustments. pull the right strings. That’s what they love to do. and keeping us updated from the sideline, Alli Leforce. I was able to listen in on what Denver’s coach was going over with his team. He was clapping in the huddle saying to his guys, loving the effort right now, keep the intensity on them. Leave no doubt in their mind that this game is ours, guys. Back to you as always, Ally. We thank you and it’s out of bounds. Still Denver’s ball. Nice deflection there. Really trying to disrupt their offensive flow. Yeah, I appreciate the work right now on the defensive end. And a second look at that rejection. Taking no prisoners on defense there. What a play. I mean, that’ll have the offense thinking twice about taking shots in his presence. Green against Joic. Clock at six. Joic just out musling the defense. Such an outstanding effort there for the big man to stay focused with his shot. Joic tremendous concentration. Curry up and in on the layup. Curry’s got 44. In a tight one like this, you have to trust in his ability. outside. Porter back to Murray. Played it in with a nice touch off the window. Murray’s got 20 points. Really like how Murray’s getting going here with these shots. It looks a little easy for him. There’s a minute 59 left in the game. steps back and here’s Curry for three and it’s Denver with a rebound. 17 points was their biggest margin. Oh, there’s the alley and Gordon with the big finish. Just flawless timing right there. Right. The dish, the catch, the flush, the whole thing was perfect. 143 left in the fourth quarter. Curry against Murray. Shoots from 12. Shot is good by Curry. Curry’s got 46. Here’s Joic. Gordon with a screen on Green. And the refs are going to rule that unnecessary contact. That’s a flagrant one foul. Oo, hard foul. Can’t let him get away with that level of contact. That’s a simple call for the officials to make. Everyone knows the league is cracking down on that kind of intimidation tactic. And no good as the first free throw misses. We’ll see if he can hit the second. And the second of two is good. And that makes it a seven-point lead. 125 left in the final quarter. Murray passes to Joic over Green Porter from outside. Here’s Yic and he was fouled in the act of shooting. An opportunity for a three-point play here. This is where you got to put a body on Joic. He’s the biggest guy on the floor right now and remarkably strong. And that one misses. Warriors trail by nine. The three from Curry. They grab their own miss and it’s Butler with the jam. Just relentless Jimmy Butler. 102 left in the fourth quarter. Denver has gone one for five shooting from the arc here in the fourth. Murray a screen on Butler. Back to Murray. Pass to Joic. Warriors with the rebound. 40 seconds left in the fourth quarter here. Here’s Butler. Good work defensively by Gordon. He gets a lot of points right there at the rim, but the defense determined not to give up the easy deuce there. And I love how he’s pushing the tempo and creating for others. He does this game in and game out. Incredible. Nice to play with a point guard that takes pride in playmaking. It makes you move around just a little bit faster to get open spots. Outside Pajki, there’s the three. Porter pulls it in. All the talk Greg leading up to this one has been about the impact of the back court and that’s where it all starts. When you have a confident incompetent backcourt, it just opens up a lot of things for you offensively. Now, let’s take a look at the Nuggets opening lineup sharing the wing spots. It’ll be Brown and Porter Jr. the four and the five. It’s Gordon and Joic. And it’s Murray in at the one stop. And so it’s the Warriors getting on the board first. Murray outside. Yic against Green. Joic draws the double. Just four to shoot. Porter no luck. And so Payton will bring it up for the Warrior. It’s a three-point game. Green. That’s in coming off an assist from Payton. Good luck against Green inside. Even when you throw contact at him, he just fights twice as hard. About one minute into the first quarter. Pass to Brown inside. Here’s Yic. Yep, it counts. Just ridiculous. He is just an absolute surgeon when he has the ball. This man is surgical. There is no way to slow him down when he wants to score. Here’s PMski down low. Here’s Payton. It’s called in by Michael Porter. Just enough resistance to force the miss barely. That’s one he’ll generally make. Here’s Murray. Pachenski grabs the board. The Warriors have gone two or three here to start off the game. Outside. Curry. No good from outside. And he might have thrown himself off when he saw how much space he had from three. Porter kicks to Murray. The Warriors pull it in. Pass to Butler. Some nice passing by Golden Stadium. Curry is inside. Can’t get it to fall. Nuggets have gone just one of four to get this game started. He can’t get it to go. Great tea that time from Green and with an update from the sidelines. Let’s check in with David Aldridge. Well, I caught up with coach Steve Kerr. I asked him what’s the hardest thing about facing Nicole Joic. He said the way he controls the game at the offensive end. He keeps everyone involved. He’s a great scorer and you have to keep him off the offensive glass. It’s a tall order. All of it, guys. All right. Thank you, David. Timeout is called. First of the game for the Nuggets. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. The Nuggets trail by five. Richard, we know that not many teams have had steady core players like the Warriors have had over the past decade. Well, there’s so much player movement these days. And it’s hard to keep any roster intact, let alone a superstar team like Golden State. That one goes in. Joic has got his second basket. Sometimes he seems to be indestructible with the finishes he can make. Yic is a force down low. Curry with a wideopen look. The shots good on the assist by Butler. Pick works well there. Not much resistance from the deep. Yeah, that just comes down to a lack of effort. The defender has to do a better job fighting through the screen. Here’s Brown outside. Gordon clock at six. That one’s in. His first shot this game. It looked like he was playing against his little brother out there. The way he just went right over him with his height. Warriors leading by four. Butler passes to Green. Curry against Murray. Three-pointer. Butler. It’s hauled in by the Nuggets and not allowing the shooter even an inch of breathing room on that one. I’m sure they’ll think twice about shooting against him next time. Now here’s Joic. When it’s all said and done, Joic, Greg, is going to be the Nuggets career leader in many categories. And he’s already their franchise leader in rebounds, assists, triple doubles, and playoff points and many other advanced stats as well. And the first one at the line is good. and Joic drops them both. And you look at this year’s Denver team, you know, Greg, trying to get more from their bench than they did last year. Yeah. And you just don’t want your starters to play so many minutes that they get gassed in the postseason. That’s something Denver’s trying to avoid this time around. Easier said though than done. It’s hauled in by Gordon. The Nuggets trail now. Murray. Nothing on the board and the ball’s tied up. So he’ll have a jump ball. So it’s the Warriors now. Pass to Butler outside Baiton. Golden State moving the ball around. Poenski and he’s fouled pretty hard on that shot, but he’s got the chance to pick up the points at the line. It didn’t take long for Pajki to establish himself as an elite charge taker. The funny thing about the game of basketball is that some things can’t be taught. Pods clearly has the it factor when it comes for the timing that it takes to draw charges. He can steal a few possessions for you every single game. He misses the free throw. He hits the second from the line. Here’s Murray. Time called here. The Nuggets decide to talk it over. And team strategies closely guarded. One aspect of the game the fans aren’t always privy to. And we see it so often. One little tweak to the game plan and everything falls into place for a team. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Here’s Brown. Still scoreless. Gordon with a screen on Curry. Pass to Joic over Green. Pajenski grabs the board. That was a good look for him from mid-range, but just couldn’t make the defense pay. Shooting foul as the whistle blows. He’ll shoot two free throws for Denver. They have been perfect at the line so far, albeit just two for two. And going back a season ago, they were a pretty average team at the line, about 76% alto together. He’s off on the first. Jonathan Kaminga. He’s checked in for Green. good on the second free throw. Enzo Curry will bring it up for Golden State. Puts up a deep three. kept alive. A really good rebound in traffic. That’s what the big fella is there for. Joic passes to Murray. He nails it and we’re tied up. And inside Murray’s attacking mentality pays off. He just works hard to find his own shot. The Warriors have gone four of 10 shooting the ball here in the first quarter. Yoic against Butler. floats it up for Kaminga. Throws down the alleyoop slam. Oh, such a beautiful pass to set that one up. Yeah, the pass might have been pretty, but the finish was bangry. The Nugget shooting 44% overall here in the first quarter. Deep two from Murray. Warriors with the rebound. Pajk’s got his fourth rebound in this one and it’s sent back by Joic and putting that reach to work. Joic just erasing that shot attempt and contact on the shot. So he’ll be shooting free throws here. The Nuggets have been successful on three of their four free throw attempts up to this point. And he knocks down the first one. both good from the line that time. The Warriors have gone five of 12 from the field since the opening tip. outside. Kaminga. Payton looking around. Curry on the wing. He’s covered by Murray. Five on the clock. Steps back and shoots. And he nails the jumper. Curry’s got 10 points. Good at keeping the game simple. When Curry sees the mid-range Jay open up, he rises up with confidence. Murray. the pass to Joic to the inside and placed up. Whistle on what looks to be an illegal screen. That’s going to draw a whistle every time down the floor. Not even close to being a legal screen. That’s a very avoidable turnover. You got to focus on the details. Russell Westbrook’s checked in for Christian Brown. Here’s Pajki outside Curry. They set the pick. Back to Pajki. Butler on the wing. And he could not get that one to go. Lot of contact and he’ll go to the line for two. It’s going to be on Joic. And one thing they’ll never have to worry about with Butler. He’s always going to take initiative. It’s his first trip to the line. And you know something I remember from their last game was how good he was at the line. And the first one drops. A highly talented two-way player. Butler is also known for his tough-nosed approach to the game. The Warriors making a switch here. Heels checked in. Denver also making some changes. Charich comes in for Joic. And it’s Payton Watson in for Michael Porter. Got to get it. Let’s get it. And so he makes both from the line. The Nuggets trail by four. To the middle and Watson has it in the corner. Westbrook against Heel. Watson dishes to Char. Kicks it out to Gordon. Pass to Murray, launches it, drills the three-pointer. Murray’s got five now. And operating off the ball. Credit Murray for staying engaged, ready to fire when asked. Warriors have gone six of 13 from the field, just under the 50% mark. Left side. Butler puts it up from 17. That’s short off the rim. You can’t look at the result of that shot. They’ll take that whenever they get. Yeah, it’s a great look for him. One they’ll try and manufacture. Again, those are the shots you want him to take. Out of nowhere, Gordon just soaring in there and that athleticism carries him straight to the hoop. Outside, Kinga. pass to Heield. Peyton with the screen for Heel and again, no good by Golden State. And even without that three ball dropping for him, the defense should have done more on that last play. Count that one. And now it’s a three-point Denver lead. And on the drive, Murray can seem unstoppable. His agility cuts the defense apart there. Pompeki finds Butler to end the run and he lays it up and in. And a nice job here early of establishing an inside presence. And so it’s Murray with it. He brings it up for Denver to the inside. and Gordon gets it to go in on the assist by Murray. Six points for Aaron Gordon. Not one to shy away from contact. It’s all part of the toughness that Gordon brings to the table. The Warriors have gotten seven of their first 16 field goal attempts to go down here in the first. Floats it up for Kaminga. Butler no good. The Nuggets leading by three. Westbrook passes to Charich. It’s stolen by Kuminga. Pass to Payton. Back to Kaminga. Six on the shot clock. Here’s PMski. Nailed from three-point land. Pajk’s got the game tied up here for the Warriors. Denver’s gone one and two from long range in the first quarter. Murray the pass to Gordon. Now Watson Gordon inside defended by Kaminga and it’s Gordon finishing it off. We all know Gordon isn’t just going to lay it up. He’s going for the throw down every time. Golden State’s gone three of seven from three-point range in the first quarter. Kaminga against Charish. Peyton with a screen on Murray. Six to shoot to Kaminga. Healed from outside. Another three for Golden State. You got to expect this from a high volume shooter with range like heel. He loves to let threes fly from everywhere. 114 left to play here in the first. Now here’s Murray. He’s defended by Pajki. And the rebound goes to the Warriors. outside. Baiton pass to Kaminga. Healed outside. Peyton with the screen for heels down low. Payton can’t get it to go. Nuggets trail. West finds Gordon. Murray outside. Denver passing it around. Gordon against Heielded. Down to five on the shot clock. Gordon the pass to Murray. Shoots over Pimski. Murray no good. Butler feeling it out a bit. That one doesn’t drop. Some solid defense from Charich. Murray way outside and that would have counted but his shot was off the mark this time. And still a close game as the first quarter comes to a close. Warriors lead by one. Live from Chase Center, you’re watching 2K Sports. And close game underway so far. We’ll see if either of these teams can jump out in the second quarter. And guys, what do you think about the offensive approach we’ve seen so far for the Warriors? They’ve really been dialed in from deep. This is a team that has a ton of confidence in their outside shooting ability. And one other thing they’ve done well today, guys, share the ball. I mean, set up teammates and just playing unselfishly. Richard, you’ve talked a lot about how underrated longevity has been as a factor in measuring some of the all-time great players. Well, when you think about Jordan, LeBron, Kareem, the only way to achieve greatness in the statistical category is to have longevity. So, obviously greatness and longevity coincide. So, out there for the Nuggets right now, they’ve got Porter Charge is out there with Payton Watson. Then there’s Russell Westbrook and it’s Drawther in at the two guard spot. He good on the shot. He’s got five points so far. Nice move. Heel showing he’s not just a three-point shooter. And here’s Westbrook. Still without a basket. Pass to Porter. Shoots the three. gets rebounded by Golden State. And you could tell he thought that triple was going to fall. And it’s Kaminga that time on the assist by Curry. And the Warriors lead by two. And they’ve done well at taking advantage of some late defensive rotations and getting the ball in the paint. Charge with it with the teardrop. Draws contact on the shot. And now a three-point play chance as he’ll head to the line. And how about capitalizing there in close? Saridge has the touch to take advantage from just about anywhere. For Denver, they have hit most of their free throws tonight. Five of six. Christian Browns checked in for Denver. And that one falls from Charich. Just over one minute has passed here in the second quarter. To the left wing, driving in time. Six changes of the lead here. Yeah, both teams still kind of feeling their way through this game. And so Westbrook will bring it up for the Nuggets. They trail by one. Pass to Brown. Watson the screen. Fires for three. Craps in the tray. Watson’s got himself going with the triple. His first basket of the game. And what kind of defense was that? You can’t give up wide open threes like that. What are you doing? Here’s Post. Curry on the wing. He’s covered by Westbrook. Shot clock at six inside. It’s stolen by Sharps and the Nuggets pushing it up now. Pass to Westbrook. Uncovered and the shot is good. Dropping in off the front of the rim and it’s a four-point Nugget lead. Total confidence. Westbrook doesn’t think he just shoots. And here is Kaminga outside. Curry Curry. What else is new? Pick works well there. Not much resistance from the D. Yeah, that just comes down to a lack of effort. The defender has to do a better job fighting through the screen. Time call here. The Nuggets decide to talk it over. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. quarter two and just under two and a half minutes gone by Here’s Brown. Charge outside to the paint. Here’s Westbrook. And the layup’s good off the glass. Westbrook’s got his second basket of the game. The D must force Westbrook farther outside because he can absolutely hurt you from down there. Here’s healed. It’s hauled in by Michael Porter. Porter’s got his fourth rebound in this one. Pass to charge. Here’s Watson. And here’s Westbrook guarded by Kerr. Westbrook. No good. Warriors trail by three. The greatest shooter ever. Steph Curry. You played with him. What was it like seeing him day in and day out? I had the pleasure of playing with Steph. The first year he broke the NBA record for threes in a season. And when I tell you he was just scratching the surface, he was always looking to push the boundaries to see what he can do and to work at every aspect of his shooting. And on an open look like that, he’s very gifted at making the weak coverage pay. And Kaminga throws it down. And how about the incredible timing on that alley? He absolutely hammered it down. So it’s Denver now. takes a step back. Here’s Westbrook. Whistle blows. Bucket is good. And he’ll have a chance at the line to make it a three-point play. Pretty much forcing his shot through. What a play by Westbrook. All right, we’ll take a look now at how the points have been generated so far. A scoring breakdown for the Nuggets. Oh boy, they’ve been driving deep into that defense early on and it’s paid off. Great penetration from the perimeter so far and they’ve also been feeling it from beyond the arc. Good start for them so far. Green is checked in for the Warriors. PMski’s coming in for Heel. A free throw drops for Russell Westbrook. And one thing about Westbrook, he does not have a quiet presence. You know he’s out there at every moment and his production speaks volumes. Now here’s Curry. 13 points in the game from the line. Rebound by the Nuggets. Porter’s got his sixth rebound on the night. Pass to Brown looking for Kaminga. He gets it there and now running it up the court. Green pushing it all the way. Basket is good. He’ll get a chance for one more at the line. You love how physical Green is willing to get enduring the foul and finding the bottom of the bucket. Richard, when it comes to Draymond Green, we know about his defense, but what does he give you offensively? I think it starts with his passing. Not many big men can do what he does the way he does it. And especially effective when he’s hitting the three ball, stretching the floor, allowing for more space for his shooters. That’s good from Green. The quintessential blue guy. Green does all the dirty work. You need one of these guys on your team because he has such a diverse skill set. Now here’s Westbrook. He’s got seven outside for Murray. And a wideopen look for Porter. And another miss by Denver. And it’s Curry with the ball bringing it up for the Golden State Warriors. The fadeaway. Kaminga. No good. Denver’s gone two for five from three-point land since the end of the first. Porter passes to Murray. Over Curry. Murray. Good. Murray’s got nine points. And let’s be honest, Murray has never seen a shot he didn’t like, especially these mid-range jumpers. And there’s the bucket from Kaminga. And you know what? He’s going to continue to bury those if that’s how they’re going to DM him up. Nuggets have gotten seven of their 12 field goal attempts to drop here in the second quarter. Up over 50%. outside Porter. Pass to Westbrook. Back to Porter. Four on the clock. Here’s Murray. Great D that time from Green. Defense pulled out all the stops and shut him down there. Here is Pacheki. Good. Great play by Green to set it up. Pajk’s got his second bucket. Denver with the ball, trailing by two. Westbrook passes to Porter. The Nuggets moving the ball around on the wing. Porter pass to Murray. He gets that one to drop. He’s now five of 12. And there’s an aggression to Murray’s game. Willing to battle there for the bucket. Here’s Curry. He’s got 13 outside. Kuminga back to Curry. Three-pointer. Rebound by the Nuggets. Westbrook with it. He’s got seven. Shoots from 12. That’s good on the jump shot. Nine points in the game so far. As a jump shooter, Westbrook is very comfortable hunting from mid-range. And we’ve got a timeout called by Steve Kerr. This will give him a chance to discuss some potential alterations. Heat. Heat. And the Warriors with some changes. Butler, he’s checked in for Jonathan Kaminga. Payton comes in for Moody. And it’s Buddy Heel in for Curry. And then for Denveric, he’s checked in for Naji. And it’s Payton Watson in for Porter. The Warriors have gone eight of 13 in the second quarter. Well above the 50% mark from the field. Back to Payton to the middle. Here’s Heel. And then Heel with the jump. As a larger guard, Hill can get up at the big boys. Denver’s gone two for five from three-point land since the end of the first. Now here’s Watson defended by Butler. Now here’s Watson. Pocket six and denied. He sends it right off the glass. Here’s Butler. And that’ll be two free throws coming up. Officials on the call with the foul. They get Russell West. You just got to like how strong Butler goes when he’s inside. Just terrific at figuring out ways to get to the line. He’s gone two for two at the line so far. Shooting two and he makes the first. Moody’s checked in for the Warriors. and so Butler nails both of them. The Nuggets trail now. Westbrook, he’s got nine. Green with the block. more of a positional defender that time. Green sends it back. Let’s take a second look at that fantastic block. And guys, that is lock down defense at its finest. Going right at the shot and then able to knock it away. Here’s Brown. And here’s Watson. Here’s Murray. It’s good. And Watson picking up the assist. Murray’s got it all tied up now for the Nuggets. And there’s no doubt Murray can fill it up. Good luck bringing him down to earth when he’s on this kind of a roll. Well, their passes to Green. Golden State moving it around. There’s the screen. Now here’s Moody. Not a lot of room. Shot clock at five. Here’s Pachki. And the Warriors miss again. Denver’s gone two for five from three-point land since the end of the first. Pass to Watson right wing. Here’s Joic. Pajki grabs the board. Pajki’s got five rebounds tonight. And Brandon Pajki gets the whistle that time. That is his first foul of the game. Oh, great defense. They anticipated the play and got there first. Here’s what Denver’s going with right now. Aaron Gordon comes in for Peyton Watson and Porter subbed in for Russell West. Murray outside. The kick out to Porter. Connects from three-point range. Porter’s got himself on the board with three there. Just sensational form and touch on display from Porter. When he gets any room to shoot from deep, he’s looking to fire. Now here’s Green. He’s got five. Good defense by Joic. Porter against Payton. Down low. Here’s Joic. Oh, threw it down. Noli Joic. Oh, that’s just too easy for Joic. This is why defensively you’ve got to get him away from the basket. Warriors trail by five. Pass to Moody to the inside. Here is Pompeki. Lays it up and banks it in. Pompeki’s got eight points. And guys, they continue to put a lot of pressure on the interior defenders with their work down low. Yic with it led by Green. Fade away. Green with the rebound. Golden State’s gone past the three-point line for 13 of their shots. Six of 13. And the basket is good. Strong move by Butler making sure that was a quality possession. 133 left in the first half of the game. Murray kicks to Gordon. Murray sets a screen for Gordon from downtown. They get it back. Joic. Nice. Four for seven from before with that shot. Oh, you got to put a body on Joic or he’ll torch you on the offensive glass. Butler against Gordon. Pass to Pajki over Murray. A shot by Pajki. No good. Denver leading by three. Odd pass to Gordon and the ball travels out of his hands. It was last touched by Joic. And that’s just carelessness there. I mean, you have got to have your head in the game. Golden State’s gone two for five from three-point land since the end of the first. Joic against Green. Here’s Butler over Gordon. Out to Payton from outside the arc. It’s hauled in by the Nuggets. Joic has got his fifth rebound right now in the game. 5second differential between the shot clock and the game clock. Outside Gordon. Pass to Brown. Gordon against Butler. He’ll high post. Just five to shoot. Back to Gordon for three. That one no good. Puts up a deep three and the last second attempt does not go in for him. And some good action through the first two quarters as we reach halftime. The Nuggets on top up by three. And now we’ll send it over to David Aldridge who is standing by Courtzaw. David. Kevin. Thanks. here with Jimmy Butler. Jimmy, you have come a long way in this league. When you look at your career now versus when you came in, how different is it? Much different. Um I think on the floor I’m supposed to do a lot more on both ends of the floor and um off the floor I think it’s still the same. People recognize my hair. Well, it is a unique style, Jimmy. Thanks a lot. Back to you, Kevin. Thank you, David. We’ll be back after halftime for the start of the second half momentarily. Heat. Heat. We’ve got second half action for you. And if the next couple quarters are similar to the first, this one could go down to the last possession without question. Jamal Murray displaying his skills today. Man, he’s been running wild on him through that first half. Absolute dynamite on offense. If they don’t change their approach in the second half, let’s just say his success will continue. And we’re halfway through this one. Plenty of basketball left in a game that’s been fairly even so far in the back court. We’ll see Curry and Pompeki. Butler out there with Payton. And it’s Green in at the center position. That’s Steve Cerr’s five as we get into the second half. It’s a great move and he catches the defense completely offguard. Yeah, taking it right to the rim. One imagines that might be discussed at halftime. That’s going to be on the film. It’s three outside. Good for basket number six from him in the contest. He’s shooting six for 12. This is what Curry does best. He is so creative at getting into rhythm and staying hot. RJ, with how well Curry continues to play, I’m not sure his three-point record will ever be broken. It’s going to be tough to do, but even if it does, I think Steph will still be regarded as the shooter we have ever seen simply because how he changed the game. Porter no luck. The Warriors trailing. Little over a minute gone here in the second half on the wing. Payton and foul on the shot. So he’ll get a chance at the line. And you don’t ever want to get into the habit of letting the offense get to the rim. The Warriors have put up good numbers at the charity strike, converting six of seven. And at the line last season, about 78% as a team, pretty solid numbers. No good on the free throw. And he’s good on the second. Denver in the lead. Murray the pass to Joic. Here’s Brown. There’s the pick over to the left wing outside. Gordon trying to find Joic. Gets it to him. Gordon inside, defended by Butler. Two open that time. Made it look too easy. Brown’s got six. You can’t lose a shooter like him on the court. The ball will find its way to him and he will drill a three each time. Here’s PMski. He’s got eight. Pass to Green. Green with a screen for Curry over Murray. And with that, the Denver lead is cut down to two on the bucket from Stephen Curry. Curry’s got five points now this quarter. Here’s Brown. Back to Murray. Now here’s Gordon. Denver passing it around. It’s Porter outside. That is not a guy you want to allow opens for range. Lucky for the defense, he just couldn’t get it to go. Curry through traffic. Count it. Oh, sometimes there’s just no stopping Curry. He’s just too skilled. Here’s Brown. Six points for him. Denver calls timeout. One guy who’s been getting it done so far, Stephen Curry. They have to come up with a new wrinkle defensively because he is killing them from deep. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. A little over two and a half minutes off the clock in this final half of play. Pass to Brown outside. Porter. Six to shoot. Gordon with the screen from Earl. The Nuggets with another miss. And they had some boxed coverage that turned into no coverage. Pompeki finds Curry. Green with a screen for Curry. Outside Butler. Pass to Payton for the lead. The inside game of Stephen Curry and you’re asking for trouble when you give Curry this positioning. He’s so efficient down there. A little under two and a half minutes off the clock now here in the third. Here’s Murray. Count the basket and the foul. And it goes on Draymond Green. Important point there. Got him on a nice play getting the ball inside and right to the bucket. He’s getting his first free throw attempt of the game here. Wound up shooting 85 from the line a season ago, which is an exceptional percentage. The lane. Find the lane. One shot. free throw good. Murray just under three and a half minutes played here in the third quarter. Curry with it. He’s got 22. Butler pass to Pajimski and that’s good. Stephen Curry for three. Curry’s got 12 points here in the second half. Denver’s gone one of three from downtown since halftime. Now Joic. There’s Porter with the three. Good. And the assist goes to Joic. Joic has got three assists in the game. And an I for an I. Both teams working to stretch the floor. This is today’s NBA. Hey, we see this kind of exchange more often than not. And it’s Butler missing. And so it’s Joic with the ball. He brings it up for Denver. They lead by one and he gets contact and the whistle on the shot. Two shots coming up and they can’t be happy they foul Murray there in the A. Jamal is lights out at the line. The Nuggets have shot the ball well from the free throw line. Eight of nine shooting two free throw good Murray and teamwide they’ve been terrific from the line here. Just one of those nights when the confidence has spread from one player to the next. No good on the second free throw. Golden State’s gone two of three when they ventured outside the arc in the third quarter. He muscles it in through the contact and they call the foul and he’s on his way to the free throw line. And the sheer muscle from Butler. I mean, a solid finisher even when he gets hit. He’s had four chances at the line made them all. And here are the Nuggets now. Murray down low. Curry meets him. Murray good. Murray’s got eight points here in this quarter. As we approach the fourth quarter, still anyone’s ball game. Yeah, neither team able to create much of a cushion. Warriors have gotten six of their seven shots to go down in this quarter. What a fantastic start to the half. Curry pass it to Green. Back to Curry. There’s the three. Good as Green picking up the assist. Curry’s got 28 points for the game. And this is the game plan for him. He’s a big part of their floor spacing. Yeah, you got to know where he is at all times, especially when he’s running around the perimeter ready to fire. Pass to Brown. The Nuggets moving the ball around. Inside. Here’s Joic. And Joic throws it down. The finish was nice, but the setup was better. Yeah, G8. The pick working to full effect before the stuff. Yeah, you like the pick, the setup, the open shot. But when it leads to a dunk, okay, even better. He’ll take it. The Warriors have got nearly everything to drop this quarter. They’re seven of eight from the floor since halftime. Here’s Butler. Two free throws coming up and they call the shooting foul. It’s going to be on Aaron Gordon. And look at Butler playing tricks, using that pump fake move to great effect. He’s made all five of his attempts at the line so far. That free throw good from Butler. Jonathan Kaminga. He’s checked in for Gary Payton. He hits one and misses one each at the line. And hey, he did just enough to get the lead. That’s what’s most important. Outside Porter. Here’s the triple. Hits it from three-point range. Porter’s got a pair of threes now here in the third for the Nuggets. And a smooth shooting stroke off the catch. Porter clearly excels in those situations. Butler dishes to Green. Majimsky on the wing to the paint. Stolen by Gordon. Right side. Porter lets the three fly. Here’s Joic. Things getting physical, but Joic hammers it out and wins. And if Joic has the position inside, forget it. tipped away. Pompeki finds Curry off target from three-point range. The Nuggets leading by four. Oh, Porter in position. It’s stolen by Green to the middle. Here’s Curry and Brown pulls it down. Denver’s gotten the three-pointer to fall to the tune of 50% here in the third quarter. They’ve made three of six. Really? Murray can hit from anywhere on the arc. The corner three is just another trick he has up his sleeve. Now here’s Curry and he has 28 points for the game. Can they get it? Driving to the basket. Beating the contact with agility. Curry. That’s on the defense there. Can’t let Curry get into the lane. And so it’s Murray with it. He brings it up for the Denver Nuggets. It’s a five-point game. Joic high post working on Green. Here’s Porter. Good. And the assist goes to Joic. Joic has got his fifth assist in this one. I I love the ball movement there. He put that on a silver platter. Just served him up. The Warriors have gotten eight of their 11 shots to drop since the break. A great third quarter for them offensively. Pass to Pajki. Outside Kinga. Six on the shot clock and they double up and they’ll turn it over. Could not get off a shot. 24 second violation. Denver making a switch here. Westbrooks checked in. Murray against Curry. Murray looking around. Pass to Joic. It’s Porter outside. Basket number five goes in. He’s now five of 12 from the floor. And I feel like Joic has 360 degree vision. I mean, no matter where the open man is, he’s going to find them. Here’s PMski. He’s got eight. And they get it back. and foul on the shot. He’ll shoot two at the free throw line. And guys, let’s get your take on the scoring breakdown so far for the Nuggets. Their offense has been a welloiled machine. They’re moving the ball around, playing for one another, and just piling up assists. And all game long, they they work the ball inside. It’s really worked well for them offensively. First one falls for and the Warriors with some changes. Moody’s checked in for Draymond Green and it’s Buddy Heield in for Curry. Good on both. Nuggets leading by eight outside Westbrook. Over healed. The Warriors pull it in. Pajk’s got rebound number eight now on the night. Moody with it. Orders there. Fajimski finds Moody. Knocks down the three ball. Moody’s got himself going there. His first points of the game in the deep ball. He can really stroke it from deep. You have to keep better tabs on him. Butler against Joic. Oh, Joic powering inside. Smooth like butter. Yokic can make you pay from anywhere. And so Steve Cerr calls for the timeout. He wants to regroup and go over the strategy. Heat. Heat. So both teams making some changes here. Warriors trail by seven. Pass to Butler and they double up back to heal. Takes a three. Denver grabs the miss. Now here’s Jookus. 16 points for him. And these are his second and third free throws tonight. Take a break. Take a break. Two shots. The first free throw is good. Charge nails them both. Boy, he’s got a great stroke from the line. That’s not something we can say about all the league’s big guys. Healed the pass to Butler and they double up Butler. They set the pick. He from outside. Buries it from three-point range. He’s got 10. Comes right off the pick and knocks it down. Great use of the screen by He Richard with Buddy Heel. We’re talking about one of the best shooters in the NBA. No question. He is a marksman. He’s going to have to be a mercenary though. He is the type of an outside threat that every team needs. I don’t care what the offensive system is. Buddy Heield will find a way to score. Here’s Butler following the basket by Russell Westbrook. Butler kicks to Heield. Drives to the hoop. Five to shoot and it’s good. Two points. He’s got 12. Good take. We all know He can shoot. The threat of the outside Jay helps open up those driving lanes for him. Westbrook pass it to Joic. Porter bounce pass. Joic no good. And it’s Butler with the ball. He’ll bring it up for the Warriors. They trail by six. And that one good. Butler’s got eight here in the quarter. And this kind of shot defines who Butler is. Just a bulldog who embraces finishing against the tight coverage. Now Westbrook 11 points in the game. A rebound by Heel. Pass to Moody. Back to Heel. We’ve got 28 seconds left in the third. Here’s Post and it’s Joic with the rebound. Joic has got nine rebounds in the game. Getting it done. Westbrook with it. back to Joic. And that comes off the assist by Russell Westbrook. Joic has got 18 points in the game. And obviously his momentum from the last game has carried over here tonight. He’s just riding the wave of momentum right now, getting to his spots and keeping things simple on the offensive side. What a performance by Jamal Murray. He has been the story for Denver. He has really delivered at the offensive end. He’s torched him for 24 points so far. We’ll get you back to the action after this break. And a worthy candidate tonight as we take a look at our State Farm assist of the game. And the definition of teamwork right there, guys. I mean, what great communication between them and what a beautiful feat serving it up on a platter. That is a beautiful dish and two teammates on the same page. Woo! Well, what a terrific game it’s been so far with this fourth quarter sure to bring more pressure packed basketball. So, out there for the Nuggets right now, we’ve got Russell Westbrook. Aiden Watson is out there with Char. Then there’s Murray and it’s Brown in at the three, the small forward. And it’s the Nuggets with the ball after the missed three from Stephen Curry. Westbrook no good. Warriors trail by six. Here’s Heield and the layup falls. And what a show of agility by He getting around the contact there and right to his finish. Here’s Murray. out to the wing. Shoots from the elbow. Warriors with the rebound. Kaminga got his fourth rebound in this one. Here’s Heielded. It’s hauled in by Watson. Watson’s got rebound number five here tonight. Outside for Murray. Pass to charge. Denver passing it around. Here’s Westbrook. Oh, and that one had the right spin on it. And it is good. And the Nuggets lead by six. It’s been like this all night for both teams. the offenses having their way. Yeah, but I think it’s going to come down to who can get the stops down the stretch because that’s who’s going to come away with this one. Curry’s shot is good. I mean, the range is just unreal. Curry can make even the toughest shots look easy. Denver leading by three. Last quarter of play, about two minutes in now. Murray against Curry. Murray good. Murray’s got 26 points. And the D not really doing its job there. A little slow to react to the ball getting into the paint. Golden State’s gone one and two from three-point range here in the fourth. Cloud finish by Stephie Curry. Look at He’s unselfish approach. He’s working to find everyone to look, not just himself. The kick out to Westbrook. That’s good. It’s his seventh May basket in 14 tries. That’s just smart basketball right there. Finding a way to get a high percentage shot on offense. A little over two and a half minutes have passed here in the fourth quarter. Murray against Curry. Healed outside. Here’s Post. Some solid defense from Charich in the corner. Murray with it. Brown. The pass to Watson, whistle, whistle, whistle. And here is Murray. And they double up. Murray. The Nuggets need to get a shot off here. Let it go with a three. Offensive rebound. Tries again. And that’s two points on the layup. And now a seven-point Nugget lead. Yeah, it’s easy to see why they go to him so often because they know they can depend on him to come through for him. We played just over three and a half minutes now in the fourth quarter. Over to the wing. Healed against Westbrook. They double him. Curry looking it over. Hangs home the trifecta. Curry’s got 38 points. And all of a sudden that three puts them in striking distance. Guys, he’s had that shot working all night. And I bet he’s thinking that he could close the gap completely if he can keep those threes coming. And here is Murray after the three-pointer from Stephen Curry. Shar with the screen for Murray. The kick out to Westbrook. Back to Murray. Six to shoot. Shooting two. And the first one at the line is good. And the Warriors making a change here. Pompeki’s checked in. The Nuggets also changing it up. Joic, he’s checked in for Charich. Aaron Gordon comes in for Peyton Watson. And Porter subbed in for Russell Westbrook. Anzo Murray nails both of them. And it’s a luxury to have a great shooter like him at the line. Very rarely see him this time. And we’ve got a timeout called by Steve Kerr. He knows every possession is critical now. Heat. Heat. Russell Westbrook’s checked in for the Nuggets and now we’ve got some time to check in from the sidelines. What do you got for us, DA? Thanks, Kevin. Well, Steve Kerr talked to his team during the break. Now, he had some pros and cons. He said, “I like our play inside, but what’s happening at the arc, fellas? We got to start making some shots. He needs more production from the outside, guys.” Thank you, David. Pass to Curry. PJsky with it. Here’s post. Here’s Curry and two free throws coming up. Unable to get that one to go with all the content. Look at Curry getting crafty, ensuring he gets fouled while in the act of shooting. the first one falls. What you appreciate most about Curry is his confidence, especially when it comes to how far he can connect from. Stephen Curry hits them both. The Nuggets leading by four outside. Gordon down low. Here’s Joic and Curry pulls it down. Golden State’s gone two or three in the fourth quarter from long range. Good shooting so far. Outside Kaminga pass to post just five on the clock. Latrey Curry shot is off and even with good coverage defensively that time. He has confidence to drill the three. Oh, inflicting some punishment with the two-hand flush. Ah, they’re going for the throat. Warriors trail by six. Right side curve. Quick shot there and it’s off target. And so it’s Joic with the ball. He brings it up for the Nuggets. They’ve led by as much as 10. Brown. The pass to Joic. And the basket is good. And he’s got a chance here for one more at the line. And how about absorbing the punishment and still complete the play. That’s a great finish by Joic. Green, he’s checked in for the Warriors. Butler comes in for Moody. And a switcher also for Denver. Payton Watson. He’s checked in for Christian Brown. Find the lanes. Find the lanes. One shot. free throw no good for Joic. The Warriors have gotten just under 45% of their attempts to drop in the fourth or of nine. Here’s Curry. Drills the elbow jumper. Curry’s got 42 in the game. I mean, what can we say about Steph’s jumper that hadn’t already been said? Here’s Porter and finished off by Porter. Love to see him inside passing like this as well as guys being on the same page. Warriors trail by eight. Outside Curry. They set the pick. The kick outside to Butler. A three-pointer off the mark. The Nuggets leading by eight. Porter passes to West. Watson for three. Butler. A screen on West. There’s Kinga. Pass to Pajki. Off target with this three. The Nuggets have got more than 58% of their attempts to go down for them in the fourth quarter. They’re seven of 12. Porter passes to Joic. Fouled in the active shooting gets the bucket anyway, so a three-point play chance for him. Oh, the Joker taking over. He’s had his way offensively, making it look easy. Payton, he’s checked in for the Warriors. Christian Brown’s checked in for the Nuggets. Jamal Murray comes in for Russell Westbrook. What’s up? And the free throw. No good. Warriors trail by 10. Outside Butler. Green against Gordon. Payton dishes to Green. Just five to shoot. Golden State needs to get off a shot. He gets it in there. 44 points for Stephen Curry. Even though his team is lagging behind, he’s playing like winner. Too bad his attitude isn’t spreading to the other guys. Denver leading by eight. outside Gordon. Murray sets a screen for Gordon. Down to five on the shot clock. Here’s Brown. That’s in. Coming off the assist from Joic. Brown’s got the lead up to 11 now for Denver. Curry against Murray. Butler, a screen on Murray. Curry with the bounce pass and slam dunk by Butler. And that’s what they want to see from Butler, a take charge mindset, that desire to attack the rim. Here’s Murray. pass to Brown over Green. Brown’s shot is off. You know, they don’t score on that shot, but they’re going to be happy with those kinds of possessions. Outside Butler. in the paint. Butler and he’s never been shy about asserting his dominance. This is classic Jimmy Butler play so far. Timeout called Nuggets. Adjustments are a part of the game and the coach sees something he doesn’t like here. Yeah, this is a good opportunity to get your group together and make sure everyone is on the same page. Go. to the inside. Here’s Joic. Good. And the assist goes to Murray. Murray’s got four assists in the game. Almost an impossible shot to block in the post. The defender can’t give up that much of a height advantage and expect to contest it. Curry. It’s hauled in by the Nuggets. Joic has got 11 rebounds in the game. inside. Yic takes the contact and scores. And with the lead, I like the strategy here. Continue to get the ball to guys who can do something with it. This is when good players really get after it. He can sense that they’re reeling and he’s going to put his foot on the pedal. Now Joic after the miss three from Stephen Kirk. Pass to Brown. Here’s Gordon. Here’s Brown. He’s defended by Pajki. Shot clock at six. Here’s Murray. Warriors with the rebound now. Pimski outside. Butler. Green with a screen on Murray. They kick it out to Green off the mark there with the three-point shot. Shocking that he just bricked that one. The defense got real lucky there. Pass to Gordon. Murray against Kirk. Murray down low at the floater. Aki on the wing. Back to Payton. Butler finds Payton. Puts up a deep three. It’s hauled in by Gordon. And so it’s Murray who brings the ball up with the Nuggets. They lead by 11, the largest margin of the game. And they came in determined to take this one. It’s going to be a happy flight home. And as it should be to be this dominant on another team’s floor. Look, when you go home, you’re gonna go home feeling good. Here’s Curry. Denver getting their last shot to go. Can they get it? And the jumper falls for it. Curry’s got 46 points. And they can just dribble the ball until the buzzer. Yeah, they got to be happy with the outcome. Murray against Curry. I’m with you. So, it’s the Nuggets winning this one easily. And in the win, a comfortable win in what was, I think, gee, a pretty hostile environment. It really was. You know, it’s never going to be easy on the road, but they didn’t have too many problems with that tonight. And now, let’s check in with David Aldridge reporting from the sideline for our player of the game. David, take it away. Thanks, Kevin. Nicole, coach has talked about the growth of your leadership. What’s gotten you to be more vocal? I just want to help my teammates. I think if I say something, they’re going to listen to me. I just want to make them better. So, I’m just going to do that. Well, it sounds like they’re listening, man. I appreciate it. Back to you, Kevin. David, thank you as always. And that’ll do it, folks. Richard Jefferson, Greg Anthony, and David Aldridge. This is Kevin Harland thanking you for watching tonight’s game on 2K Sports. And as we leave you, let’s take a look at our player of the game, Noola Joic.
NBA LIVE! Golden State Warriors vs Denver Nuggets LIVE | NBA PRESEASON | August 4, 2025 | NBA 2K
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