Kendra AndrewsESPN
SAN FRANCISCO – Stephen Curry dribbled almost the entire Denver Nuggets team before doing the perfect tear-drop layup to put the Warriors five with 29.9 seconds left in Wednesday night’s game. He then looked into the crowd and clasped his hands under one side of his head, signaling to the Nuggets that it was time to go to sleep. Curry’s bucket was the dagger that ended the Nuggets’ season and pushed the Warriors to a 102-98 victory, hitting the Golden State ticket to the Western Conference semifinals. The Warriors advance to face the winner of the Timberwolves-Grizzlies series, with Game 1 taking place only on Sunday. Memphis has a 3-2 lead over Minnesota in Game 6 on Friday night. For the first 30 minutes of Wednesday night against the Nuggets, the Warriors looked lifeless and Chase Center was almost dead. The uncertain and nervous energy was felt. 2 About At 6:20 in the third quarter, Draymond Green scored a 26-foot three-pointer to bring the Warriors to six of the Nuggets. It gave them the initial impetus to revitalize themselves and the building. The fourth trimester is when they really came to life. The Warriors finally found an aggressive rhythm, while they also slowed down the Nuggets on the other end. Nikola Jokic faced a foul – picking up his fifth staff just seconds after the ten-minute check – to help the Warriors. Curry led the Warriors with 30 points in 10 of 22 shots, including five three-pointers in 38 minutes. Game 5 was Curry’s first start to this post-season and it was also the first time the Warriors’ home unit introduced their new lethal lineup with small balls by Curry, Clay Thompson, Jordan Poole, Andrew Wiggins and Green. The unit’s first stint lasted just three and a half minutes before Kevon Looney checked in for Poole. Due to early fouls, the Warriors did not return much to this combination. Thompson added 15 points, while Green had 11 points, six assists, three blocks and one steal. Gary Peyton II gave the bench a major boost, playing his patented defense and scoring 15 points in a 6-on-8 shot, including a wide-angle 3 to give the Warriors the required 86-84 lead as they entered the final. scope of the game. Hit another 3 to put the Warriors with just under a minute to spare. After two explosive games in Games 1 and 2 and two games in Denver – one win and one loss – all the Warriors had to do was head to the first round against the Nuggets in’s first game. Chase Center. . Thompson went so far as to say that Game 5 was a game to be won. Not in the sense that it was a win-or-go-home, but in a way that was clear that they could not give this Nuggets team, which has made two incredible playoff returns in the past, life and return to Denver. The Warriors let them stay longer than they wanted in Game 5, but they finally achieved their goal.
