The Warriors beat the Nuggets 127-119 on Monday night in a surprisingly competitive game that saw the young, fun Denver squad hang around for a while before mistakes and missed shots did them in. Takeaways as Golden State improves to 30-5, the same record they were at after 35 games in 2015 when they won the title:
1. Draymond did his thing. The Warriors' heart and soul got his second triple-double of the season, telling reporters after the game that if he cared about them, he would have a lot more. Draymond Green finished with 15 points, 10 rebounds, 13 assists, and a plus-11 in an eight-point victory. Green also finished the game, beasting over, around, and through Nikola Jokic on offense. Jokic simply couldn't contain Green; few players can deal with his combination of strength and explosiveness. Green had eight points, two offensive rebounds, and two assists in the fourth quarter.
2. The Nuggets lost at the 3-point line. Denver went a mind-boggling 9 for 35 from 3-point range. That's 26 percent. If they shoot 35 percent, they make this a real game or win it. They shot 38 percent on uncontested shots per NBA.com's tracking data. It's a make-or-miss league, and while the Warriors made only two more 3-pointers, Denver lost because it couldn't punish the Warriors for leaving them open from deep. Gary Harris, Emmanuel Mudiay and Jamal Murray, the youngsters, went 1 for 11 from deep.
3. The Warriors' defense took a step back. Golden State is averaging a 101 defensive rating this season, which is excellent. Since Christmas, in their past four games, they're at 106, including a 110 against the Nuggets, despite all those open misses. It's not a problem, or a concern, it's just something to note and move on. Chalk it up to coasting, boredom, or just an off couple of nights, but the Warriors had a really sharp December after a lackadaisical November, so it's worth keeping an eye on how consistent they are on that end.
4. The Warriors just crush you with broken plays. Three-pointers off offensive rebounds, loose ball scrambles, the little messed up plays that aren't about their execution, precision, or brilliance ... the Warriors turn low-percentage, chaotic situations into surefire scoring opportunities. This is an airball that turns into a wide-open dunk when the defense, out of position due to the bad shot, cannot track Durant effectively.
You can't survive plays like that, especially if you're Denver, and the Warriors create and convert a ton of them.
5. The Nuggets defense remains awful. It's hard to evaluate honestly because Golden State is so good, but Denver's litany of defensive issues is too long to even break down. Their scheme overloads the paint on the weak side, making them susceptible to ball reversal, their attention on cuts is borderline catatonic, their rebounding and second-efforts are often poor, they can't rim protect, but that's OK because they also bleed from the perimeter and can't contain. Getting caught napping on slip screens, going under on Stephen Curry pick and rolls, not fighting through screens, the Nuggets are truly terrible in all phases of the game defensively. If they're going to make the playoffs, that has to change, immediately.
6. Nikola Jokic is awesome, though. The Joker remains a must-watch, because he does things like this:
Twenty-one points, 13 rebounds, five assists for Jokic in the loss.
7. Good players for Golden State: Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, Green, Ian Clark. For the Nuggets: Wilson Chandler, Emmanuel Mudiay, Jokic, Jusuf Nurkic.
