DENVER - The Warriors needed this one, and Steph Curry made sure they got it.
Golden State entered Monday night at Ball Arena still looking for its first win of the season, and Curry answered with the kind of stretch only he can produce when a game starts to tilt. After a quiet opening half, he took over in the third quarter and helped carry the Warriors past the Nuggets 134-114 for their first victory.
Curry finished with 24 points and did it in highly efficient fashion, making all eight of his field-goal attempts. He did not take a shot in the first quarter, spent the opening period as a facilitator with two assists, and had only one made 3-pointer by halftime.
Then the third quarter changed everything. Curry hit all six of his shots in the period, including two triples and a floater to close the quarter 7-of-7.
Golden State was up just four to start the third, but the Warriors quickly pushed the margin to 80-65 to open the period, fueled in part by 12 offensive rebounds. By the time Curry headed to the bench, the game had shifted firmly in Golden State’s direction.
While Curry was sharpening the knife, rookie Yaxel Lendeborg provided the muscle. He turned his minutes into a bruising, productive night, scoring 31 points and getting to the free-throw line 13 times, the most since Curry in 2010. Lendeborg added just one 3-pointer, but he made eight shots in the paint and showed more than enough as a downhill threat, including a layup after splitting a double-team as a pick-and-roll ballhandler.
The Warriors leaned into him in the fourth quarter, running the offense through Lendeborg and allowing Curry to sit for much of the final frame.
Brandin Podziemski added 18 points and seven rebounds, Draymond Green finished with seven assists, and Georges Niang made 3 of 7 from deep after missing his first 12 3-point tries to start the season.
Golden State’s defense had its own heavy lifting to do, and Green drew the main Jokic assignment. The matchup became a grind, with every post-up turning into a battle. Nikola Jokic still put up 19 points and 11 assists, but he was minus-1 in 18 first-half minutes as the Warriors managed to stay with Denver’s pace.
The Warriors led 60-56 at halftime, then used their third-quarter surge to take control. Aaron Gordon, the Archbishop Mitty alum, was ejected in the fourth quarter after arguing calls.
Golden State is now 1-3 and heads to Minneapolis on Wednesday.
In Other News...
DeMarcus Cousins Just Reignited A Painful Stephen Curry Debate
The early-season stumble has already put fresh pressure on the Warriors, and DeMarcus Cousins added another layer to the conversation by going after the front office instead of the players. He took aim at general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. for the way the roster has been built around Stephen Curry, arguing the job has been poorly handled and expressing surprise that Dunleavy remains in place.
Cousins also questioned whether Golden States system has kept up with the league, saying it feels outdated and pointing to the long-running lack of a star big man alongside Curry. With the Warriors off to an 0-3 start, the worst opening stretch of the Curry era, the familiar debate about whether the team has done enough to maximize its franchise centerpiece has only gotten louder. [Read more 🡒]
Warriors Face An Uncomfortable Stephen Curry Reality Already
Stephen Currys new two-year, $116 million extension was meant to keep the Warriors title window open, but early in the season it has already put the team back in a familiar place: managing his workload before the schedule starts to take a bigger toll. The reality is straightforward enough for Golden State. Curry is still the engine of everything it does, but at this stage of his career the team cannot treat every night like a normal one.
Resting Curry in games is a reminder that the Warriors are trying to balance two competing truths at once. They need him on the floor as much as possible, yet they also have to protect him from the wear that comes with age and an injury history that has shaped so much of his career. For a roster that has long depended on his presence, that tension could become one of the defining issues of the season. [Read more 🡒]
Nuggets Fans Just Got Pulled Into Another Nikola Jokic Trade Debate
The Warriors current reality is not exactly built for splashy dreams. Injuries have thinned the roster, salary-cap constraints have boxed the front office in, and Steve Kerr has already made it clear the team is not where it needs to be. With Golden State also not expected to make the playoffs, the conversation around the franchise has shifted from short-term fixes to bigger-picture questions about how far it should go to keep an aging Stephen Curry in the title mix.
Into that uncertainty comes the kind of idea that can only survive in rumor season: a trade chase for Nikola Jokic if the circumstances ever lined up. Bleacher Reports Dan Favale floated the possibility, which is enough to send another round of Nuggets fan arguments into overdrive. For the Warriors, it speaks to how aggressively they might have to think if they decide future assets are worth moving, even if the path from speculation to reality remains as wide as ever. [Read more 🡒]