Warriors' Christmas Day loss to the Nuggets ended their winning streak

 

On Christmas Day in Denver, the reigning champion Nuggets defeated the Warriors 120-114, ending their five-game winning run. The Warriors were led by Andrew Wiggins, who scored 22 points on 7 of 11 shots, while the Nuggets were paced by Jamal Murray, 28, and Nikola Jokic, 26.

Team Leaders

GSW

Points     Rebounds             Assists

Wiggins - 22     Podziemski - 9     Podziemski - 6

Curry - 18     Thompson - 6     Curry - 4

Saric - 14     Saric/Kuminga - 5     Paul - 3

DEN

Points     Rebounds             Assists

Murray - 28     Jokic - 14             Jokic - 8

Jokic - 26     Gordon - 10     Caldwell-Pope - 5

Porter Jr. - 19     Porter Jr. - 10     Three-tied - 3

RECOVERING THEIR SPOT

Thanks mostly to their increased shooting efficiency, the Warriors overcame a 10-point first-quarter deficit to take the lead early in the second quarter. The Dubs made 11 of their 18 field goal tries in that period, highlighted by Chris Paul's second successful 3-pointer, after starting the game 2 for 10 from the field. At that point, Paul became one of the Warriors' three-point shooters, along with Klay Thompson and Brandin Podziemski, who combined to miss just one of their six attempts.

ENDING STRONG IN THE HALF

With an 8-0 surge to close the first half, the Warriors led 54-53 at the break. They scored their first field goals through a layup by Kevon Looney and a splash by Stephen Curry, while Andrew Wiggins finished with a team-high 10 points on his 3-pointer. Nikola Jokic was only able to score six points on 1-for-5 shooting as the Warriors used their defensive strength to offset Curry's offensive shortcomings. Wiggins' plus-minus (+19) at the half's conclusion was a game-high.

SETTING THE STANDARD FOR DENVER

The Warriors committed few fouls in the first half, but in the third quarter, they gave up 17 free throw attempts to the Nuggets, who made 15 of them. Ten of those free shots were made by Nikola Jokic, who went on to record a career-high 18 made free throws on Christmas Day, the most for any player without a miss.

A SCARCE PARTNER FOR THE ROOK

This season's first rookie to record at least five points (13), five rebounds (9), five assists (6), and five steals (5) in a game is Brandin Podziemski. Since Draymond Green on October 25, 2016, just three NBA rookies have scored at least 13 points, nine rebounds, six assists, and five steals in a season. Podziemski is the first Warrior to do it (Demarcus Cousins and John Wall being the other too).