The Golden State Warriors just finished one of the most impressive back-to-back sweeps of the season, defeating the Denver Nuggets 118-104 less than 24 hours after a 123-116 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. With the playoffs quickly approaching and the Western Conference standings full of uncertainty, the Dubs have made it a lot more likely that they can avoid the play-in tournament. They may even have a shot at home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
Despite the workload from a back-to-back and overnight travel, the Warriors offense got off to a solid start back on their home floor. They scored 34 points in the first quarter, with Steph Curry and Brandin Podziemski picking up where they left off in Los Angeles. Granted, those offensive flashes were overshadowed by a dominant Nikola Jokić. The unique seven-footer propelled Denver to a 44-point quarter.
Jokić was leading the Nuggets as they capitalized on their size (and perhaps energy) advantage early. However, as soon as he went to the bench at the start of the second quarter, the Warriors mounted a counterattack. With Curry and Jokić on the bench, Podziemski, Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green, Moses Moody, and Quinten Post each scored and brought the Dubs within one possession.
By the time Jokić returned to the game, Golden State had taken control and Curry ensured they would not take their foot off the gas pedal. Steph tied things up at 51 with 4:45 left in the first half. A 9-2 Warriors run to close out the half put them ahead 66-60. They never looked back.
Despite the Nuggets clear size advantage, the Dubs took control of the glass in the second half. Outside an occasional scoring spurt from Michael Porter Jr., Jokić was the only problem for Golden State defensively. Joker made three triples early in the third quarter, but Curry had seized control by then. The Nuggets were only delaying the inevitable.
For the second consecutive night, Podziemski’s scoring early kept the Warriors from falling too far behind, allowing Curry to warm up just as Golden State came back. Then, the defensive synergy from Green and Butler alongside Curry’s wondrous offensive talent took control of the game.
After an incredible outside shooting night against the Lakers, Podz was unstoppable as mid-range shooter on Friday night. Podziemski was incredibly comfortable driving inside and finding space for a floater or jump shot. A consistent mid-range game that made Podziemski less reliant on his three-point shot to score would be a huge developmental step toward becoming a more consistent scoring threat. He finished with 26 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists on 10-for-16 shooting from the field (4-for-8 from three).
Butler had another impactful performance. He recorded 19 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, and 5 steals alongside a game-best +21 plus/minus. It still remains to be seen whether Butler will be able to take on a heavy scoring load when the Warriors need it, but with Podziemski playing like he has the past two nights, he has been able to sit back and use more energy elsewhere. In many ways, this is Butler at his best.
Yet this all revolves around Curry, who had his third-consecutive MVP-caliber performance. Curry finished 13-for-24 from the field with 36 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, and just 2 turnovers. At 37, he is still arguably the best player in the world.
With the win, the Warriors ended a nine-game losing streak against the Nuggets and improved to 46-31 on the season. They are now just a half-game behind the Nuggets and Lakers in the standings. Meanwhile, they gave themselves a bit more breathing room over the Grizzlies (1 GB), Timberwolves (1 GB), and Clippers (1.5 GB). Finally back home, the Warriors will get to enjoy one day off before returning to action against the two-seed Houston Rockets on Sunday.
