On October 22, Beijing time, the fourth game day of the NBA regular season ushered in a strong dialogue between the two Western powerhouses of the Warriors and Nuggets. The Warriors were last season's NBA champions, while the Nuggets have returned from injury to Porter Jr. this season. The two teams gave the fans a wonderful matchup.
Warriors vs Nuggets
Upset, Warriors trailed the Nuggets by 18 points at halftime!
In the first half, the Nuggets relied on multiple points to blossom and take a slim lead in the first quarter. In the second quarter, Hyland scored consecutive points, Jokic played the offensive end, and Denver blossomed more, at one point extending the gap to 20 points. At halftime, the Warriors trailed by 18 points.
The Warriors were last season's NBA champions, and in the offseason the Golden State Corps also strengthened DiVincenzo and Jermichael Green, and renewed their contracts with Wiggins and Poole early. The Warriors, who retain most of the championship-winning team, are still considered favorites to win the championship this season. Jamal Murray, the core of the Nuggets' backcourt, was sidelined by injury in this game, and Denver was damaged. In the case of inferior strength, the Nuggets led the Warriors by a large score at halftime, which can be described as a good show.
The Warriors trailed the Nuggets by 18 points at halftime
Upset! Curry 13+3+3, Warriors trailed the Nuggets by 18 points! Wiggins is 3-of-9, Jokic is 14+7+6!
First half game review
The first quarter kicked off with Porter's long-range shot, Jokic scored under the basket, Wiggins made a layup, and then hit a long-range shot. Porter hit a 3-pointer and Curry responded 3+1. Wiggins dunked, and the Warriors took the lead. Jokic and Looney faced off in the box, Klay scored on a jumper and Brown scored a one-goal free throw. Wiggins made 1-of-2 free throws, Pope hit a three-pointer, Curry scored on a layup, and Gordon hit the basket. Pope scored on a jumper and Looney scored in the low post. Pope hit a free throw, and Curry made all 3 free throws.
Warriors Curry
Kuminga and Jokic each have inside scores, and Kuminga and Jordan Jr. each have dunks. Wiseman and Hyland scored on layups, Wiseman sent a dunk, and Hyland scored two goals on a jumper and colored. Jeff Green and DiVincenzo shoot a three-pointer, and Jeff Green blasts into the whistle. At the end of the first quarter, the Nuggets led 40-34.
In the second quarter, Jordan Jr. slashed, Jeff Green made all 2 free throws, and the Nuggets took a 10-point lead. Wiseman and Hyland each made 2 free throws, and Wiseman and Jordan Jr. fought in the low post. Jeff Green created back-to-back offensive fouls, and Hyland hit a long-range shot to extend the deficit to 14 points. Jermichael Green hit a three-pointer, and Malone called a timeout.
Warriors are a big player
Brown blasted into a long-range shot, and Poole countered with a dunk and a color dunk. Porter scored from a long range and the Nuggets continued to extend the gap. Klay scored a three-pointer and the Warriors called a timeout. Jokic scored on a jumper, then hit all two free throws, and Brown fought back. Curry scored on a layup to stop the bleeding for the Warriors. Porter and Curry each scored low, Jokic made all four free throws to give the Nuggets a 20-point lead. Wiggins made two free throws, and Curry didn't score a three-pointer. At halftime, the Warriors trailed 52-70.
Curry 13+3+3
Warriors superstar Stephen Curry played 18 minutes in the half, shooting 4-of-8 from the field, 1-of-5 from three-point range and 4-of-4 from the free-throw line, with 13 points, three boards and three assists. Curry scored a team-high first-half scoring percentage of 50 percent from the field. However, Curry's long-range shooting efficiency is not ideal, with only 20% shooting. Curry needs to play more efficiently on the offensive end to drive the team.
Curry and Wiggins
Wiggins was 3-of-9
Warriors giant Andrew Wiggins played 16 minutes in the half, shooting 3-of-9 from the field, 1-of-5 from three-point range and 3-of-4 from the free-throw line, with 10 points, two boards, one assist and two steals. Wiggins shot just 33 percent from the field and 20 percent from three-point range. Wiggins is aggressive on the offensive end, but his shooting percentage is poor. However, Wiggins' performance on the defensive end is still worthy of recognition.
Wiggins
Jokic 14+7+6, all-around
Nuggets interior core Nikola Jokic played 16 minutes in the half, shooting 4-of-7 from the field, 0-of-1 from three-point range and 6-of-6 from the free-throw line, with 14 points, seven boards and six assists. Jokic scored the highest points of both teams and was strong on the offensive end. Jokic's back-to-back scoring in the second quarter was the main reason the Nuggets held a 20-point lead at one point. In addition, Jokic was also the rebounding and assist king in the first half. Jokic showed versatility, and his outburst was key to Denver's upset lead.
Nuggets Jokic
Half-time stats for both teams
Warriors: Curry 13 points, 3 boards and 3 assists, Wiggins 10 points, 2 boards, 1 assist and 2 steals, Klay Thompson 5 points and 2 boards, Wiseman 8 points.
Nuggets: Jokic 14 points, 7 boards and 6 assists, Pope 9 points, Brown 8 points, Michael Porter Jr. 11 points, Hyland 11 points and 3 assists, Murray injured.