Six minutes before the end of the fourth quarter, the Warriors trailed by 10 points 103-113. The balance of victory and defeat had shifted to the Nuggets' side, but Stephen Curry refused to concede early.
Assist Klay Thompson hit a three-pointer after attracting a pinch, breaking through a layup under a strong shot, assisting an Andrew Wiggins dunk after blocking and dismantling, naming Jokic to break through to play 2+1, retreating to shoot...
Curry used eighteen martial arts, not only to help the Warriors equalize the point difference, but also to surpass the score 1 minute and 21 seconds before the end of the game.
It's just a pity that Wiggins' violent dunks at hand came out of the basket, and Draymond Green left the court after six fouls, causing the Warriors to lose the main backbone of the defensive end. The Warriors failed to complete a 17-point comeback and eventually lost to the Nuggets 121-126, and the score was rewritten to 3-1.
From the Warriors' point of view, it is a pity not to sweep the opponent, but for the Warriors who still hold the game point, this is not a game worth discouraging. It's normal to lose one game in the series, but after that loss, It may be time for Curry to return to the starters in Game 5. Don't look at Curry today with 33 points and 8 assists, but Curry shot 10 of 23, including 3 of 3 three-point shooting, and The athletic projection performance was not ideal, and Cole had to return to the regular rotation mode to maximize Curry's energy.
Overall, it was a very bizarre game. The referee's blowing scale made both sides unhappy, Green's 6 fouls did not qualify for the final two minutes, Thompson received 4 fouls in the first half, the Warriors' fixed rotation in the first 3 games was forced to adjust, and the first three quarters and a half warriors rarely had the opportunity to sacrifice the splash brothers, Jordan Poole, Wiggins and Green's death five. Green's pass actually hit Thompson directly on the head, and Curry conceded 4 free throws and even laughed at himself.
The Warriors caught up with the Nuggets' hand explosion again, and the Nuggets' empty three-point grasp was very low in the first three games, and they created 90 open three-point opportunities, but only shot 33. But today, the Nuggets are not just empty three-pointers, Hyland's three unreasonable long-range three-pointers, and Monte Morris's conversion of the offensive three-pointers have left the Warriors helpless. Throughout the game, the Nuggets shot 15-of-31 from three-point range and shot 48.4 percent from the field.
The reason why the Warriors did not win this game is not worth being discouraged is this, the Nuggets' outbreak in this game is more like eating a dumpling, and the strength of the two sides is still the dominant side of the Warriors. This is not to deny the Nuggets' strength and performance, it is an objective fact in the case of Jamal Murray and Michael Potter's inability to return.
In Game 5, Kerr will definitely not make a big adjustment to the defensive strategy because of the Nuggets' super high level of projection in Game 4, because the essence of the Warriors' loss today is that they were once broken down to 17 points, and the Warriors' offense had a big problem during that time. If you dig deeper, the conclusion is that the Warriors did not take advantage of Curry and give him the opportunity to play a hot performance.
From the first 3 games, the Warriors will remove Kevin Looney in the middle of the first quarter and replace Curry with a death five, but today Thompson fell into foul trouble early, and only played 4 minutes in the first quarter to receive 2 fouls, so the Warriors' first substitution was Curry for Thompson. Pull a hair and move the whole body, and then the warrior's rotation is messed up.
In the second half of the first quarter, Curry was once surrounded by Iguodala, Bjelica, Porter and Payton Jr., in addition to Bjelica, the other 3 were regarded as non-space points by the Nuggets, Curry played very badly in this lineup, and the Warriors rose points very slowly. Due to Bjelica's poor performance, Kerr used Cuminga again today, curry was once with Cuminga, Green, Wiggins, Thompson, and there were two non-spatial points on the court. Including Curry's lineup with Porter, Payton Jr., Poole and Green, the space is also very poor, and 3 of them are considered non-spatial points. These lineups are matched and basically lose points.
Curry's offensive efficiency in the first three quarters must have been very inefficient, and he must have had his own reasons, he actually lost 4 career highs in free throws. However, the Warriors' inability to provide Curry with good space support is even more problematic. Curry's containment power is indeed unique, but when the opponent focuses all his defensive attention on Curry, the pressure on Curry can be imagined.
Curry has played four consecutive bench games, and few superstars in history have accepted such an arrangement while still at the peak of their careers. Of course, the Warriors let Curry play as a substitute with the Warriors' consideration, Curry's return time is still limited, plus there is no problem with the previous rotation, so Curry lacks an opportunity to start. After the fourth game, Curry's opportunity to start back appeared.
From the data point of view, the starting five Tigers of Poole, Thompson, Wiggins, Green and Looney were average on the floor, and the lineup lost 5 points in the first 3 games. When Poole feels good, the lineup can play with high efficiency. But when Poole opened in silence, the lineup tended to heat up slowly. When Green and Looney are on the floor, the Warriors desperately need to open the outside offensive points, and the only player who can solve the problem of Green + Looney dragging space is Curry.
In the first 4 games, the Warriors had 3 games without fighting against their opponents in the first quarter. The Warriors averaged 125 points per 100 possessions in four games, but only 111.6 points in the first quarter. The Warriors need to solve the problem of slow start, and the best thing to do is to get Curry back to the starting lineup. In four games, when Curry was on the floor, the Warriors scored 132.6 points per 100 rounds, compared to 111.5 points when he wasn't on the floor. Curry, who has returned to normal playing time, returned to the starting lineup, and the Warriors can grab the start and maximize Curry's value.
Having Curry start to replace Poole is also a strategy to temporarily protect Poole. Regardless of the Nuggets' emphasis on Poole's defense, Poole currently has an injury to his left arm, and he has to ice every time he goes off the court, and his right wrist is also slightly injured today, allowing Poole to return to the bench, reducing his offensive pressure, and benefiting Poole without any harm. Kerr has promised Poole that even if Pooler comes off the bench, he will have plenty of playing time and the ball.
Having Curry back on the start has another benefit: more defensive holes against Jokic. In the first four games, the Nuggets had a very strange phenomenon, when Jokic was on the floor, the Nuggets lost 44 points, and when he was not on the floor, the Nuggets won 8 points. In today's game, the Nuggets established their advantage in the first three and a half quarters, basically when Jokic was not on the floor.
One reason for this is that Curry's substitution meant that he and Jokic could not be present at the same time for part of the time. In the first three and a half quarters, many times when Jokic was on the floor, Curry was still off the court. Not long after Curry played, Jokic went off the field again, and the two played in a staggered time, and Curry was unable to maximize the defensive loopholes against Jokic. From the first four games, Curry's naming Jokic is one of the Warriors' highest scoring tactics.
The Warriors want to win Game 5, and of course there's a lot of work to be done. For example, how to better control fouls, such as how to better use Jokic's absence to build an advantage. But in all the work, getting Curry back into the starting lineup should be number one.