On December 26, Beijing time, the defending champion Denver Nuggets sat at home to welcome the challenge of the Golden State Warriors!
Both teams have been in great form of late
The Nuggets have an excellent record of 4 wins and 1 loss in their last five games.
On the Warriors' side, after Green was suspended, the team's condition was too good, and a wave of five consecutive wins even allowed them to do without Green at all.
However, in today's Christmas game, the Warriors still failed to continue their winning streak!
At the beginning of the first quarter of the game, the Nuggets played a wave of 6-0 offensive climax with Gordon and Murray's successive scores, and they took a good lead at the beginning.
The Warriors, on the other hand, had several unsuccessful offenses, and it wasn't until the 9:04 mark of the game that the Warriors hit a three-pointer by Thompson.
After that, the two sides went head-to-head, but the Nuggets always held the lead.
With about one minute left in the game, the Warriors trailed by just four points at 22-26.
Braun then hit a three-pointer from beyond the clock to extend the Nuggets' lead to seven points.
But fortunately, Saric scored four points in a row to help the team stop the bleeding, and at the end of the first quarter, the Warriors fell behind the Nuggets 26-29!
In the second quarter of the game, the situation on the court changed dramatically
Saric continued his excellent play in the first quarter, hitting hook shots as soon as he came up.
Porter, on the Nuggets' side, saw that the score was about to be overtaken, so he decisively chose a three-point shot, and after a successful hit, the Nuggets still stabilized the situation.
However, the Warriors were still chasing hard, and in the 10th minute of the game, Paul hit a three-point shot, and the two sides were tied at 34.
After that, the two teams alternated scores, and with 2:46 left in the second quarter, Curry hit a three-point shot.
52-53, the Warriors were still 1 point behind the Nuggets, but fortunately, Looney scored a layup, and the Warriors overtook the score.
In the final minute and a half, neither team scored, and at halftime, the Warriors led by one point at 54-53
In the second half of the game, the two sides also played inextricably together
In the third quarter of the game, the Nuggets scored 39 points and the Warriors scored 35 points
In the fourth quarter of the game, the Nuggets scored 28 points and the Warriors scored 25 points
In terms of score, the Warriors didn't actually lose much, and for the first four minutes of the fourth quarter, the Warriors were in the lead.
In the 7th minute and 57 seconds of the game, Porter hit a layup, and the Nuggets overtook the score.
The two teams then went to a stalemate for a few more minutes until the game was 2:32, when Murray's three-point shot gave the Nuggets a six-point lead.
After that, the difference between the two sides has remained above 4 points, and the Warriors have not been able to get it back no matter how much they play.
In the end, the Nuggets won a hard-fought 120-114 victory over the Warriors!
In terms of statistics, the starting five on the Nuggets' side all scored double-doubles
Murray chipped in 28 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals
Pope also had 16 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals, Gordon scored 16 points and Porter scored 19 points
Jokic's form in today's game was actually not good, with only 4-of-12 shooting in the whole game
But with 18 free throws, Mr. Yoo still contributed 26 points, 14 rebounds and 8 assists
Aside from the starting five, the Nuggets' bench lineup wasn't very ideal.
As a result, the team seemed to play well, but was never able to pull the score away.
If the Nuggets want to defend their title this season, the bench depth really needs to be strengthened!
On the Warriors' side, the Splash Brothers' performance today was a disaster
Curry made just 7 of 21 shots and finished with 18 points, 2 rebounds and 4 assists
Klay made just 3 of 12 shots and finished with nine points, six rebounds and one assist
In addition, Kuminga scored 13 points and Podzemski scored 13
Wiggins scored 22 points off the bench, Paul also scored 13 and Saric scored 14
If it weren't for the excellent performance of the bench lineup, relying on the starting lineup alone, the Warriors would have lost the first three quarters!
Although he was not in good shape, Curry had a lot of complaints about the penalty in today's game.
"It's not that we don't foul, it's that we need to be consistent, like tonight, where you feel like there's a physical confrontation on the one hand, a little too demanding on the other, and then they get into the free-throw advantage, and that changes the complexity of the game!," Curry said
Curry's words are actually about about the teacher to get 18 free throws, judging from the penalties of the whole game, the referee's blowing is indeed a little biased in favor of the home team, which caused Curry and Podemsky to question the referee's decision after the game.
If Joshua hadn't made as many free throws, the Nuggets wouldn't have been able to win.
Conversely, even if Mr. Joo doesn't get as many free throws, it's a fact that Curry isn't in shape.
So don't make excuses if you lose, just adjust and move on to the next game!
Fans and friends, do you think today's penalty is controversial?Welcome to discuss!