The Nuggets welcome the travel-weary warriors

The Denver Nuggets want to take advantage of the advantage given by the NBA’s schedule makers when hosting the travel-weary Golden State Warriors on Thursday night.

With the Nuggets taking the night off and watching their next opponent on TV from perhaps 1,000 miles away, the Warriors not only endured Wednesday night’s back-to-back opener in Minneapolis, they also played overtime. I had to. Minnesota he lost to the Timberwolves 119-114.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr rested four veterans on the second night of back-to-back games this season. This includes Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green sitting in the second half of his most recent 2 game-in-2. Day series for January 20 in Cleveland.

Andrew Wiggins also missed the Jan. 20 game due to illness, leaving Jordan Poole, Kevon Looney and a cast of roll players to face the Cavaliers on the final night of a five-game trip.

Golden State surprised the Eastern Conference contenders on the occasion, scoring 32 points from Poole, 17 rebounds from Looney and a combined 34 points from two-way players Anthony Lam and Ty Jerome in a 120-114 win. .

Kerr played the veteran early on in the trip, which resulted in a 127-118 win in Washington, with Curry scoring 41 and Poole scoring 32.

Those back-to-back loads were the Warriors’ sixth and seventh of the season. In his first five innings, the short-handed Golden State team lost him 0-5 with a total of 104 points.

Starting the three-game trip at 2-0, the Warriors blew a 14-point fourth quarter lead with a chance to soften the blow of a rough night in Denver with some (or all) of the veterans sitting. rice field. Wednesday, and according to Kerr, “We got what we deserved.”

“I thought we were controlling the game,” he said. “I thought it was just a little gift wrapping. They took advantage of our mistakes and lack of execution. We missed boxing out, threw the ball away, hit some really hard shots. Now we’re in control of the game.” So I stopped.”

Kerr made no announcement after the game about who would or would not play in Denver. A decision will be made on the day of the match.

The Warriors were in full swing when they lost 128-123 to the Nuggets in San Francisco in the first week of the season. Nikola Jokic scored 26 points in Denver and chose to give Jamal Murray the night off.

Jokic’s team-high points total was achieved as part of a triple-double with 12 rebounds and 10 assists. Participated.

A two-time MVP, his recent triple-double was one of the most impressive of the season. On Tuesday, he had 26 points, 18 rebounds and 15 assists in his 122-113 home win over the Pelicans in New Orleans.

He became the fifth player in NBA history to complete a 26/18/15 triple-double, joining Oscar Robertson (3), Wilt Chamberlain (3), Larry Bird and Russell Westbrook.

Jokic will start Thursday and average a triple-double — 25.1 points, 11.1 rebounds and 10.0 assists. Only Robertson and Westbrook averaged a triple-double to finish an NBA season.

“Of course it’s good. It’s not what I’m trying to do,” Jokic said. “As long as I’m winning games and my team and players are happy around me, I’m happy.”

–Field level media