SAN FRANCISCO – While a makeshift starting Warriors five battled it out with Denver’s Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray at Chase Center on Sunday afternoon, only four reserves were available to take on one of the West’s true contenders.
All of the pieces for a big Golden State loss were in place.
The Warriors played the game with a skeleton crew. Steph Curry (runner’s knee) and Kristaps Porzingis (illness) were both ruled out. The frontcourt got even thinner as Draymond Green was a scratch five minutes before tipoff with lower back soreness. Horford took his place and drew the unenviable assignment of guarding Jokic.
But on his son Ean’s 11th birthday, Horford turned back to clock and scored 22 points in a spirited 128-117 win.
But with all due respect to Horford, Brandin Podziemski was the star.
He came off the bench and scored 15 of his 18 in the fourth quarter, shaking off a 1-10 shooting start to close out the Nuggets. He made all manners of fadeaways, floaters and 3-pointers, each one bringing the crowd to their feet. Podziemski also grabbed 15 rebounds and missed out on a triple double with nine assists.
Moses Moody scored 23 points, while De’Anthony Melton (20) and Gui Santos (17) joined him in double figures. Off that depleted bench, Gary Payton II put in 15 points and Will Richard contributed 11. Nikola Jokic scored 35, grabbed 20 rebounds and had 12 assists for the Nuggets.
They kept it close late, going into the final six minutes tied at 109. After the Nuggets brough Jokic and Murray back into the game, their presence only seemed to fire up the Warriors more. Golden State ripped off a 7-0 run over the next 1:18 to force another Denver timeout. The Warriors took control from there and closed out the victory behind Podziemski’s flurry.
The shorthanded Warriors rose to the occasion in a nationally televised game from the start, bursting out to a 39-27 lead after one quarter, shooting 9 of 19 from behind the arc while Denver was just 10 of 27 from the field. That high level of offensive execution continued into the second quarter, with the Warriors leading 76-67 at halftime. Golden State had 25 assists on 27 makes.
The 15-minute halftime break cooled the Warriors off quite a bit, with Golden State clanking on all 14 of their shots from behind the arc in the third quarter. Six turnovers did not help either, and the Nuggets led 101-95 after three quarters.
The Warriors (30-27) will travel to New Orleans next for a game on Tuesday.
Porzingis takes sick day
Kristaps Porzingis had spent the past few days practicing with the Warriors, with the team expecting him to be able to increase his minutes from the 17 he played against Boston on Thursday in his debut.
Instead, on Sunday morning, the 7-foot-2 center, who scored 12 points against the Celtics, was ruled out with an illness that left him confined to his Bay Area hotel.
“I got a text this morning that he was sick at the hotel, and he’s not even going to come over here,” Kerr said. “He’s pretty sick.”
Porzingis has played in only 18 total games this season, and has dealt with various injuries as well as postural Orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS). Kerr said he had not talked to Porzingis directly and was unsure what sort of illness he had.
The coach was also unsure if Porzingis would be available for the upcoming two-game road trip to New Orleans and Memphis.
Warriors tune in for hockey
Steve Kerr was one of many members of the Warriors organization who had a keen interest in Sunday morning’s USA vs. Canada Olympic gold medal match.
Patriotism was not the only reason for the team’s fascination. The Warriors tuned in to watch Macklin Celebrini, the son of team doctor Rick Celebrini, lead Canada. As of late Sunday morning, Kerr had yet to reach out to Rick after the USA’s 2-1 overtime victory.
“I’d imagine they’re pretty disappointed, pretty bummed,” Kerr said.
After what Kerr called an “incredible, incredible sporting event”, he was moved by members of Team USA holding up a jersey to honor the late Johnny Gaudreau, who along with his brother Matthew, was killed by a drunk driver in 2024. .
“It was incredibly emotional, and then they showed his parents in the stands,” Kerr said. “I knew the story of course, but didn’t know his family would be at the game. That was just unbelievably emotional.”
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