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

What we learned as Warriors blow late lead, lose to Nuggets originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Warriors came ever so 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 wiped out an 11-point deficit over the final 6:01 – and a seven-point deficit in the final 2:30 – to send the Warriors out of Ball Arena with a 119-115 loss, their fifth in a row this season and eighth consecutive against the Nuggets.

With the loss, the Warriors fell to the No. 3 seed 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, Dec. 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 Dec. 11.

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

Another failure down the stretch

Draymond Green, with a tender left calf, was on the bench in street clothes and Curry shot 8-of-23 from the field. The team’s decorated vets needed help.

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

It was not enough, however, as the Warriors came apart over the final 6:01. They missed 10 of their final 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 lineup

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

Kuminga took advantage of the opportunity from the opening tip. He scored nine points in the first six minutes, finishing the half with 13 in 17 minutes – and was the only starter not to commit a turnover.

Most impressive was Kuminga’s measured approach on offense. He displayed a higher than usual level of floor vision, leading to productive passes. He was selectively assertive about seeking his own shot and result was the kind of efficiency the Warriors have been wanting to see. His decision-making, often a weakness, was solid.

He finished with 19 points on 9-of-18 shooting from the field, adding five rebounds and two assists. He committed no turnovers in 29 minutes.

Though 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 proved his determination remains high. He lit the biggest fires during the second-half stretch that put the Warriors in position to win.

After missing his first four shots, Moody entered with 5:02 left in the third quarter and got three crucial buckets 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, one assist and one steal.