The Nuggets fought hard defensively throughout tonight’s game, and finally hit some clutch jumpers and free throws late to hold on for a incredible 112-110 win over the Golden State Warriors. Denver was able to stay aggressive, attacking the paint regardless of the Warriors’ strong interior play (11 blocks). Denver shot 37 free throws — making 33 — to only 20 for Golden State — making 16 — and took advantage, allowing them to weather Stephen Curry‘s torrid fourth quarter. Curry scored 20 points on 7-8 shooting, including 3-3 from long distance, and I mean loooong distance in the fourth.
The Nuggets went toe-to-toe with the league’s best and came away with a win.
When/Where
Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2016 at Pepsi Center – Denver, CO
Bench Bonus
Led by Darrell Arthur (18 points, 11 rebounds) and Will Barton (21 points on 7-11 shooting), the Nuggets bench played admirably throughout and their ability to provide strong minutes from start to finish helped to secure the victory.
Jusuf Nurkic and Emmanuel Mudiay were the only other Nuggets bench players to play more than six minutes and both provided solid play as well, especially Nurkic, who left with a limp after an attempted block in the third quarter. Nurkic will undergo an MRI on his ankle to see if there is any further damage – coach Michael Malone said after the game he hopes it’s just precautionary testing.
Gallo at the Line
Danilo Gallinari hit some threes, but it was his ability to draw fouls and hit his free throws that helped the Nuggets the most tonight. He only hit one of two in crunch time, but shooting 17-19 overall from the line more than makes up for that. In fact, Gallo made one more free throw than the entire Warriors team despite only shooting 19 to the Warriors 20.
Gallo can take over games when he’s hitting 3-pointers, but he was only 1-2 from beyond the arc tonight and 5-14 overall from the floor, but still managed to score 28 points.
Dubs Without Green
Harrison Barnes and Marreese Speights filled in admirably for Draymond Green, but there’s no question that Green’s versatility was missed. Speights held down the fort inside, while Barnes shot the Warriors back into the game in the second quarter, but neither could match the all-around game that Draymond brings.
Other than Darrell Arthur, who did much of his damage from mid-range, none of the Nuggets big guys put up huge numbers, but they were determined to control the paint, and they did so tonight more often than not.
Star of the Game
Gary Harris didn’t score the most points, he missed a number of make-able shots and Steph Curry ended up with 38 points after an unbelievable final quarter, but it was Harris’ play that set the tone for the Nuggets all night long. He ended up with 17 points on 7-14 shooting, 1-4 from deep and 4-4 from the line, including two made free throws in the closing seconds to extend the Nuggets lead to four.
Coming into the fourth quarter, Curry was 6-17 from the floor and just 2-9 from 3-point range and even the shots that he did make were off balance thanks to Harris’ relentless defense. He struggled with confidence at the offensive end for much of last season, but if tonight’s game is any indication — 2016 is going to be a big year for Gary Harris.
Plays of the Game
A win like this takes a number of great plays, so here’s a selection of beauties from tonight’s big win:
Faried strong and energetic at both ends:
Will Barton with a great pass to Arthur for the And-1 dunk:
Gallo and Nurkic run the pick-and-roll to perfection, leading to a Nurkic dunk:
Gallinari with a huge shot to extend the lead in the fourth quarter:
And one for the Warriors as a “Plays of the Game” section wouldn’t be complete without this 3-pointer from waaaaaay downtown from Curry:
Turning Point
After Curry hit a ridiculous 33-foot 3-pointer with 00:37 seconds left to bring the Warriors within two points, Gallo drove into the lane looking to get back to the free throw line. Rather than draw the foul, Andre Iguodala came up with a block, which gave the Warriors a chance to tie the game or win it on a last second shot. Gallinari came up with a game clinching steal before Curry could even set up a play, leading to Gary Harris’ two clutch free throws.
By the Numbers
Darrell Arthur snatched a season-high 11 rebounds tonight and every other player that played more than six minutes grabbed at least two leading to the Nuggets out-rebounding the Warriors 49-39. Golden State outshot Denver 47.7 percent to 42.5 percent from the field and 38.5 percent to 22.7 percent from 3-point range, but the Nuggets got to the line more often (thanks Gallo!) and managed more second chance points (13-8), leading to one of the more unexpected wins of the season.
Quote of the Game
“We made just enough plays, both offensively and defensively, to get a quality win in front of our home fans.” -Michael Malone
Lasting Impact
The Nuggets finally got a signature win for the season, and the momentum from this win should bleed into the rest of the eight-game homestand. Malone said in his post-game interview that Nurkic rolled his ankle, great news considering that he just returned from a knee injury, but it was unclear how severe the ankle injury was at this time.
Even if Nurkic misses some time, Faried, Jokic and Arthur were impressive enough tonight that Nuggets fans should expect solid play in the paint for the foreseeable future. With a confident Gary Harris and strong bench play, the young Nuggets are finally rounding into form.
Next Up
Friday, Jan. 15th vs Miami Heat, 7:00 p.m. MST
The Nuggets get a taste of the Eastern Conference, staring with the Miami Heat on Friday night in their third game of eight consecutive at Pepsi Center. The Heat have been impressive this season, so it will be a great chance to see how the Nuggets match up against one of the East’s best.
