On December 25, Beijing time, the NBA Christmas War was in full swing, and the Nuggets faced the strong rival Warriors at home, and finally successfully defeated the opponent 120-114 and won a valuable battle of 5 consecutive wins.
In this game, Jokic of the Nuggets played well, shooting 4 of 12 and 18 free throws, scoring 26 points, 14 rebounds and 8 assists. In the second half, he showed his dominance, and the 20-point performance in a single quarter was eye-catching. Teammate Porter also contributed 19 points, 10 rebounds and 4 blocks, while Gordon and Pope had 16 points and 16 points, 5 assists and 2 steals, respectively. Murray handed over 28 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals.
Comparatively, the Warriors have been a little underperforming. Although Curry had 18 points and four assists, he shot slightly less on 7-of-21 shooting. Thompson contributed nine points and six rebounds, while the returning Wiggins helped the team with an efficient 22-point performance. However, the Warriors were unable to hold on to their lead in the second half and unfortunately suffered a five-game winning streak.
The Nuggets took on the Hornets on the road yesterday. The game was full of ups and downs. In the first half, the Hornets played well on the offensive end and took the initiative. However, in the third quarter of the second half, their offense suddenly short-circuited and were beaten by the Nuggets on a 30-9 run. Although the Hornets tried their best to catch up in the final quarter, they were unable to close the gap in the end. The Nuggets won by seven points and are on a four-game winning streak after this campaign. Don't think that the Nuggets are only good at offense, and when they defend seriously, they can make it incredibly difficult for opponents to attack. Yesterday they managed to defend against 17 Hornets attacks.
The Warriors beat the Trail Blazers 126-106 at home yesterday and are on a five-game winning streak. This is mainly due to the rebound in their offensive efficiency. However, Green's absence has had an impact on their defense.
At the start of the game, Gordon quickly broke the deadlock, and Murray opened the Nuggets on a 6-0 run with breakaways and shots. In the face of fierce counterattacks from opponents, the Warriors relied on Thompson's three-pointers to stabilize the situation, but Porter's long-range shot and air-cut dunk gave the Nuggets a 10-point lead at one point. Before the end of the first quarter, the Warriors trailed 24-29 through a three-pointer from Podemski and a layup from Davis.
At the beginning of the second quarter, Porter continued to exert his power, scoring five points in a row to help the Nuggets overtake again. However, the Warriors followed suit and rallied the score to 43-37 through the performances of Curry and Wiggins. Jokic and Murray led the Nuggets on a comeback, and a 16-4 run put them ahead again. However, before the end of the first half, the Warriors took the lead again through three-pointers from Wiggins and Curry to take the lead to 54-53.
At the start of the second half, Gordon dunked back-to-back and Murray put on a great performance to give the Nuggets an 85-77 lead. However, the Warriors launched a counterattack and chased the score to 92-89 through three-pointers from Paul and Podzemski. Jokic made 10-of-10 free throws in the quarter to help the Nuggets maintain the lead.
At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Wiggins and Saric led the Warriors to a 6-0 offensive run to bring the score back to 95-92. However, back-to-back offenses from Gordon and Murray gave the Nuggets the upper hand again. The game went into the final five minutes and the Warriors led again at 103-102, but Jokic's hook and Murray's key score helped the Nuggets take a 114-107 lead. In the final moments, although Curry steals Jokic, Wiggins' layup failed to turn the tide. In the end, Murray made both free throws to seal the victory, and the Nuggets won 120-114 over the Warriors, ending the opponent's five-game winning streak.
The result of this game gave the Nuggets a five-game winning streak, showing strong competitive form. The Warriors, on the other hand, ended a five-game winning streak. The exciting matchup of the Christmas game has kept the fans addicted and kicked off the fierce competition in the second half of the season.