Game 5 of the series
In a desperate situation, Jokic took the Nuggets and held a home field in the Denver Highlands, which turned the series into a 1-3 deficit and successfully refused to be swept out by the Warriors. However, for Malone and Jokic, what they want is not to refuse to sweep out, but to create a miracle of a 1-3 comeback once again. It is worth mentioning that the Nuggets have been in the 2020 playoffs, two consecutive series, facing the Jazz and Clippers, creating a myth of 1-3 behind reversal.
The difference is that that year's Nuggets, Jokic had Murray by his side, and now, Murray and Porter Jr. are all absent. The Golden State Warriors had led the Cavaliers 3-1 on the Stage of the Finals, which was eventually reversed by James Irving. There have been lessons learned from the past, so this time, the Warriors will definitely go all out to avoid repeating the same mistakes.
Curry is back on the starting line.1
Kerr took the initiative to change the lineup, Looney went to the bench, Curry started the game, the Warriors put up their killer skills, the new version of the death five small lineup. At the beginning of the first quarter, the Warriors' lineup showed the benefits of more scoring points, Curry got 8 points, 3 rebounds and 1 assist, Poole and Klay and Wiggins, all had 6 points, the whole team blossomed more, and the single quarter bombed 30 points, while the Nuggets side, the scoring points were more concentrated, Gordon had 12 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist on 4-of-4 shooting, and Jokic also had 6 points, 9 rebounds and 3 assists.
Led by Jokic and Gordon, the Nuggets also scored 25 points in this quarter, just five points behind the Warriors. After returning from the second quarter, Cousins, who came off the bench, immediately showed the strength of the league's first center, scoring 8 points, 3 rebounds and 1 steal on 3-of-4 shooting, allowing Jokic to play for time, and the Nuggets survived very well. Then Jokic and Curry both returned to the court, and the Nuggets were still the duo of Jokic and Gordon, but on the Warriors' side, Cumminga, who had just appeared, scored consecutive points to help the Warriors stabilize the situation.
Barton hit a crucial three-pointer to help the Nuggets rebound by one point, Kerr immediately called out a timeout, and the Warriors only scored four points in the past 4 minutes, all from Cuminga. After the timeout came back, the Warriors conceded consecutive shots, Jokic returned from mid-range, Klay made a three-point shot to stabilize the situation, the Nuggets made the last attack, Gordon's three-point shot was blocked by the dream, and Jeff Green took the rebound and did not put it in. At the end of the half, the Warriors Nuggets drew 48-48.
Cole's change failed
Judging from the performance of the two teams in the first half, Cole's change of formation is undoubtedly a failure. The Warriors only grabbed 19 rebounds in the first half, while the Nuggets grabbed 29 rebounds, and Gordon asked for it in the box, which is why the Nuggets were able to tie the score in the first half. Jokic got 12 points, 13 rebounds and 5 assists, still MVP-level performance, Gordon shot 5 of 8, there are also 15 points, 4 rebounds and 1 assist, when he is no longer obsessed with shooting three points, then for the Nuggets, it is the best news.
Cousins, who came off the bench, broke out efficiently, playing only 6 minutes, and had 8 points, 3 rebounds and 1 steal on 3-of-4 shooting, which bought Jokic a good break. On the Warriors side, although Curry had 10 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists, he only shot 4 of 11 from the field, Poole had 8 points and 3 assists, and Klay had 9 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and 1 block, reproducing the style of the league's top 3D. Wiggins also had 6 points, 2 rebounds and 1 block, making just two shots.