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Harrison Barnes, SF 41 MIN | 7-17 FG | 4-4 FT | 9 REB | 1 AST | 2 STL | 1 BLK | 1 TO | 23 PTS | -1
If not for Barnes, this game might have been a complete blowout. The rookie was in a groove early while Golden State was facing a double-digit deficit. His shooting and scoring kept the deficit relatively manageable for his teammates to eventually step in and make a game of it. |
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Andrew Bogut, C 18 MIN | 1-4 FG | 0-0 FT | 5 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 2 BLK | 1 TO | 2 PTS | -9
Bogut was aggressive defensively and even gave a huge shot to Kenneth Faried after the Nuggets’ big man took some liberties with Steph Curry. Mind you, his minutes were cut short in this one as Jackson rode with the group that got him back into the game. |
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Jarrett Jack, PG 41 MIN | 7-16 FG | 4-4 FT | 6 REB | 5 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 6 TO | 20 PTS | -3
Jack did a decent job of creating his own shot but ball security was an issue in this one at crucial times. |
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Stephen Curry, PG 42 MIN | 7-19 FG | 0-0 FT | 4 REB | 8 AST | 0 STL | 1 BLK | 2 TO | 15 PTS | -3
Curry struggled early in the contest and even forced a few shots. He made things interesting in the fourth quarter but couldn’t do enough. He did an awful job defensively in this one, committing bad fouls that forced the Warriors to throw help his way when defending Iguodala, thus resulting in open looks for other Nuggets. |
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Klay Thompson, SG 42 MIN | 8-17 FG | 0-0 FT | 6 REB | 2 AST | 0 STL | 1 BLK | 2 TO | 19 PTS | -11
Klay performed admirably in this one with his shooting and rebounding. Defensively, he made things tough for Ty Lawson and did a good job of keeping him out of the lane. |
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Mark Jackson
This one was a tough call. Jackson decided to ride the group that got him back within five points and stuck with Festus Ezeli in the fourth quarter. The big man was a good presence defensively, but he committed three turnovers (moving screens) with the game hanging in the balance. Can’t blame Jackson for that, but it certainly felt as though Landry or Bogut would have been a better fit late. |
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Two Things We Saw
- This is the Denver team everyone expected to see at the start of the series. They won the battle on the boards, the turnover margin and as a bonus even came within one 3-pointer of matching the Dubs’ game total.
- Golden State was down by as much as 22 points and yet showed a lot of resilience. Instead of packing it in, they continued playing hard and had an opportunity to close out the series late in the game before ultimately failing.