What we learned as Warriors blow late lead, lose to Nuggets

What we learned when the Warriors blew a late lead and lost to the Nuggets originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Warriors came very close Tuesday night to ending two losing streaks and moving one step closer to opening the NBA Cup at Chase Center.

But the Denver Nuggets erased an 11-point deficit in the final 6:01 – and a seven-point deficit in the final 2:30 – to take the Warriors out of Ball Arena with a 119-115 defeatthe fifth in a row this season and the eighth in a row against the Nuggets.

With the loss, the The Warriors fell to third place in the Western Conference NBA Cup standings and will travel to Houston to face the Rockets in the quarterfinals at 6:30 p.m. PT on Wednesday, December 11.

Six Warriors scored in double figures, led by Stephen Curry’s 24 points. Andrew Wiggins, Brandin Podziemski and Moses Moody each finished with 13, while Gary Payton II had a season-high 11.

The loss sends the Warriors (12-8) to Houston to face the Rockets next week in the NBA Cup quarterfinals on Dec. 10 or 11.

Here are three observations from another loss following a late-game fade by Golden State:

Another failure in the final stretch

Draymond Green, with a delicate left calf, was on the bench in street clothes and Curry made 8 of 23 field goals. The team’s decorated veterans needed help.

Enter the bank, which had lately lost much of its flair. They found it in the third and fourth quarters. With the Nuggets running relay races to the foul line and trying to put away the Warriors, the bench gave them a chance.

It wasn’t enough, however, as the Warriors fell apart in the final 6:01. They missed 10 of their last 13 shots, committed two turnovers and sent the Nuggets to the free throw line nine times.

Meanwhile, three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokić scored 15 of his game-high 38 points in the fourth quarter, including nine in the final 4:22.

Kuminga shines in the starting eleven

After going a full month between starts, Kuminga was in the starting lineup for the second time in three games. This was partly due to Kerr’s ongoing experiment with the starting five, but mainly due to the absence of Draymond Green.

Kuminga took advantage of the opportunity from the first goal. He scored nine points in the first six minutes and finished the half with 13 in 17 minutes, and was the only starter who didn’t commit a turnover.

Most impressive was Kuminga’s measured approach on offense. He displayed a higher level of ground vision than usual, which allowed him to make productive passes. He was selectively assertive in finding his own shot and the result was the kind of efficiency the Warriors wanted to see. His decision making, often a weakness, was solid.

He finished with 19 points and 9 of 18 field goals, adding five rebounds and two assists. He committed no turnovers in 29 minutes.

Although there were a couple of visible defensive lapses, this was JK’s cleanest and perhaps most complete offensive game this season.

Moody’s mood

Three nights after playing a season-low three minutes in a loss at Phoenix, Moody returned and showed his determination remains high. He lit the biggest fires during the stretch of the second half that put the Warriors in position to win.

After missing his first four shots, Moody came on with 5:02 left in the third quarter and scored three crucial baskets to keep the Warriors close. To further illustrate his effectiveness, Moody scored 13 points in 13 second-half minutes between the end of the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth.

Moody played 20 minutes, his third-highest total this season. He scored his 13 points on 4-of-10 shooting from the field, including 2-of-6 from beyond the arc. He added two rebounds, an assist and a steal.

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