Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry Power Dominant Warriors Past Nuggets
The Golden State Warriors moved one step closer to clinching the Western Conference's top seed with a 116-102 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday at Oracle Arena.
Golden State is now two games clear of the second-seeded Nuggets, who fell to a mere 2-4 in their last six contests.
DeMarcus Cousins (28 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocks) and Draymond Green (six points, nine rebounds and nine assists) stuffed the stat sheet, while Stephen Curry finished with 17 points, five assists and three steals. Klay Thompson added 13 points, and Kevin Durant tallied 21 points, six assists and two blocks before he was ejected in the third quarter.
Nick Friedell of ESPN explained Durant now has 15 technical fouls and will be suspended when he receives his next one.
Jamal Murray led the way in defeat for the Nuggets with 17 points, five steals, four rebounds and three assists.
Engaged Warriors Are a Nightmare for Rest of League
The Warriors could be forgiven for sleepwalking through extended portions of the season.
They've been to four straight NBA Finals, winning three, and won a record 73 regular-season games the year they didn't take home the title in that span. They boast arguably the most talented lineup in NBA history with Curry, Thompson, Durant, Cousins and Green, and it is almost disrespectful to suggest they are incapable of flipping a switch whenever needed.
It appeared as if Golden State was going through the motions at times in March, particularly when it lost by 33 points to the Boston Celtics and 35 points to the Dallas Mavericks. It also dropped a game to the 18-60 Phoenix Suns.
Those are not exactly the results one would expect from an all-time great team, but Tuesday's stakes were much higher with the No. 1 seed and home-court advantage in a potential Western Conference Finals hanging in the balance.
While the Warriors won Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals on the road last year, it only happened after Chris Paul suffered an injury near the end of Game 5 and the Houston Rockets shot an abysmal 7-of-44 from three-point range.
Winning a decisive playoff game in Denver would be a tall order seeing how the Nuggets are 31-7 at home this season.
Golden State exploded for a 16-point halftime lead before expanding it to as many as 30, and the signs it was engaged were clear from the start. Durant turned heads with a chase-down block, Cousins battled for five offensive rebounds, Thompson hustled back and intercepted an alley-oop, Green dove into the crowd chasing a loose ball and the team as a whole finished with 11 blocks.
The Warriors urged the crowd to get involved and played off that momentum throughout, especially when Durant unleashed an aerial display with multiple dunks.
The effort didn't just come on the defensive side, as Golden State finished with 36 assists on 50 field goals, whipping the ball around and finding the open man on a consistent basis.
It was reminiscent of the Warriors' 31-point win over Denver in January when it was clear the Nuggets would be a threat this season. They also showed urgency when they won in Houston in the game following the Phoenix loss to ensure the Rockets didn't sweep the season series.
Golden State already boasts a talent advantage over any team it lines up against, and the fully engaged version that will surely come out in the playoffs is a downright nightmare for the rest of the league.
What's Next?
The Nuggets host the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday, while the Warriors are at the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday.
