The Warriors faced the Western Conference’s elite on Thursday night in the home opener, hosting a revamped Denver Nuggets squad that is finally fully healthy. Most people see the Nuggets as the biggest threat to the defending champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Warriors played their best basketball of this young season so far, jumping out to an early 10-0 lead over the Nuggets. In the second quarter, Bay Area native Aaron Gordon went off, scoring 25 points in the first half, including a perfect 7-7 from beyond the arc. The Warriors managed to cut the Nuggets’ lead to single digits heading into halftime. The Nuggets led 70-61 at the break.
Just like they did on opening night, the third-quarter Warriors burst onto the scene again. Steph hit a couple early threes, and before you know it, the offense started to hum and the Dubs started to cut into Denver’s lead. By the end of the third quarter, the Warriors and Nuggets were all tied up at 94.
In the fourth quarter, rookie Will Richard had some very positive minutes, but no one could stop Aaron Gordon as he sprang a 10-0 run all by himself, giving the Nuggets a 9-point lead nearing the end of the fourth. But then came the theatrics.
The Warriors trailed by seven with less than three minutes remaining in the game until Steph scored all of the Dubs’ remaining 13 points and carried them back into this game as we headed to overtime all tied up at 120.
In OT, Steve Kerr opted for the brand-new lineup featuring Curry, Butler, Kuminga, Green, and Horford. In OT, Kuminga came up with key defensive stops, including a clutch block on Jokic that led to a Jimmy Butler three with 41 seconds remaining that sealed the victory.
The Warriors won 137-131 in overtime. Despite Steph’s slow start, he finished with 42 points on 14-25 shooting and withstood Aaron Gordon’s 50-point performance. It was an impressive offensive attack for the Dubs on opening night with 7 Warriors in double figures, including all five starters.
The Warriors are now 2-0 on the season and are in Portland on Friday night to play the Trailblazers. Tip-off at 7 PM PST.
Sports Talk by Zach Walsh 
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