After a thrilling finish last Wednesday, the Golden State Warriors and Denver Nuggets will go at it again.
The Nuggets squandered a big lead but managed to hold off the Warriors’ furious second-half comeback, churning out an 89-86 road victory.
Nikola Jokic produced another stat sheet-stuffing game with 22 points, 19 rebounds, five assists, and four steals. Even though he committed eight turnovers, including a costly miscue in the last 12 seconds, he more than made up for it with a game-winning block on the very next play. It was another signature performance for the reigning league MVP.
Speaking of the MVP award, Steph Curry has another crack at it this season. On his way to scoring 23 points in a losing effort, he made history by becoming the first player to make 3,000 3-pointers. He also reached 157 straight games with a 3, tying his own record that he set in 2016. The two-time MVP poured in 21 points in the second half as part of a Warriors fightback to climb out of a 24-point deficit. The Warriors had a chance to send the game into overtime but Andre Igoudala’s 3-point attempt missed the mark.
There is plenty of star power to go around with Jokic and Curry at the forefront, but both the Warriors and Nuggets are still missing key personnel.
Aside from Michael Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray, the Nuggets might have to face the Warriors without Aaron Gordon. The high-flying forward has sat out the last three games because of a hamstring injury. Point guard Monte Morris, meanwhile, has a nagging sore knee. The two are questionable for tomorrow’s game.
As for the Warriors, they were glad to see Andrew Wiggins back versus Denver after coming out of the league’s health and safety protocols. He had 21 points and eight rebounds in his return. Unfortunately, the team is still without Draymond Green, Jordan Poole, Damion Lee, and Moses Moody because of protocols.
Despite the injuries and quarantine restrictions, it will still be an exciting match with two of the league’s best players, Jokic and Curry, ready to battle it out.
Round two between Golden State and Denver tips off on Friday, 10:30 AM on NBA TV Philippines via Smart GigaPlay app or Cignal TV.
