The Warriors were never going to lose this game — not with history on the line. Golden State made easy work of the Nuggets to tie the ’93-94 Rockets for best start to a season at 15 – 0. They now have a chance to leave an indelible mark on the history books against the moribund Lakers (2-11) at Oracle on Tuesday. 16 wins without a loss to start a season doesn’t sound like reality. I hope it is.
10 Thoughts:
1) Denver managed a spirited rally to go up one point on the Warriors late in the first half. Sensing the team needed to play with more ferocity, Luke Walton unleashed the caged-tiger lineup of Draymond Green at the five for the final two minutes. The Dubs immediately went on a 14 to 4 run (until a bad foul by Klay Thompson on a three-point attempt) to end the half. The game was pretty much over after that. Everyone knew that no matter how hard the young Nuggets fought to climb back into the game, the Warriors would always have the Draymond-at-center card in their back pocket. That lineup is like having an ace of spades available at all times.
2) After slow starts on the year from beyond the arc, Thompson (4-7 on threes) is now up to 39% and Barnes (2-2) is at 37%. The most efficient offense in the game just got more lethal.
3) Emmanuel Mudiay is going to have a long NBA career. He’s big, strong, can get into the lane, and gets the shots he wants (though he’s not converting them yet: 33%). He doesn’t give up on defense (he forced a Curry miss on the break), and he’s only 19. But what I like most: he was willing to take a three-point heave in the first quarter to beat the shot clock. Most NBA guys (ie. Iguodala) let the clock expire before taking a halfhearted shot so as to not hurt their field goal percentage. Understandable, but lame.
4) Curry-is-a-monster stat of the night: Prior to tipoff, Festus Ezeli, someone who gets most of his shots on lobs and put backs within 2 feet of the basket, had a 59% two-point field goal percentage — pretty darn good. Stephen Curry was shooting 2-pointers at 60%.
5) HB got a thunderous dunk on Nikola Jokic at 3:06 in the third. He followed it up with a hard stare down of the Serbian center. Barnes isn’t usually a demonstrative player. Wonder what Jokic said — and whether it was in English.
6) Walton got his second technical of the season. If the team’s wins go on Steve Kerr’s record, who pays for the techs? Does the interim head coach get petty cash for techs?
7) Magic Johnson and Isaiah Thomas both averaged over 4 turnovers a game their rookie year. Mudiay is at 4.4. Turnovers are obviously bad, but mistakes help young point guards develop, and Mike Malone is letting the kid play through the mistakes. The Nuggets aren’t going to win the championship this year anyway, so what’s the harm? Too bad Keith Smart didn’t realize this when he used to bench Curry for turnovers in favor of Acie Law. 
8) Nitpicking: Up 16 with five minutes to go in the fourth, Walton again put Dray at center. It’s a killer lineup for sure, but I wonder whether all those minutes banging around with giants like Jokic (6’11”, 256) isn’t going to wear down Green this early in the season.
9) Was that Mike Malone or Mike Malone’s dad coaching the Nuggets? The former Warriors assistant looked 10 years older than when we saw him with the Warriors a few years ago. Guess coaching Boogie Cousins and then a 19-year-old point guard will do that to you.
10) By all accounts, Draymond’s game is fueled in large part on perceived slights. Someone please tell him that despite clearly being the Dubs’ second best player, ESPN’s telecast had a graphic with Curry, Klay and Iguodala as the Warriors’ “Stars.” Let’s keep growing that chip!