Warriors-Nuggets Preview

By TOM CASTRO
Posted Nov 22 2012 2:02PM

After a sluggish start to the season, the Golden State Warriors have won four of five. To continue their roll, they'll have to defeat a Denver Nuggets team that appears to be on the verge of a run of its own.

Golden State looks to maintain its solid play on the road Friday night when it faces Denver in a matchup of clubs seeking their third straight victory.

Klay Thompson scored 10 of his 23 points during a pivotal third-quarter run and the Warriors held on to beat Brooklyn 102-93 on Wednesday night. David Lee added 20 points, 13 rebounds and six assists for his fifth straight double-double while Stephen Curry had 25 points for Golden State (7-5).

Thompson went 10 for 19 from the field to bounce back from a 2-of-14, seven-point performance in a 105-101 win at Dallas on Monday.

"It felt great, I get to build on it Friday and keep this win streak going," Thompson said. "We've got to stay tough."

The Warriors have been very tough on the boards in their last four wins, outrebounding opponents by an average margin of 14.5 overall and 9.3 on the defensive end. Golden State is 7-0 when it wins the rebounding battle.

"The key once again was defensive rebounding," said Lee, averaging 11.2 boards and 8.4 on the defensive glass to rank among the league leaders.

The Warriors have won two of three away from home and are among five Western Conference teams with an above-.500 road record at 4-3. They'll be looking to avenge a 107-101 double-overtime home loss to Denver on Nov. 10 in which they went scoreless over the final 2:47.

The Nuggets (6-6) are coming off an encouraging 101-94 victory over Minnesota on Wednesday, overcoming a 34-point, 14-rebound performance from Kevin Love in his surprising return from injury. Denver trailed by 17 in the first half and 14 at the break before coming out strong in the second half, winning despite committing 20 turnovers.

"We yelled and screamed a little bit at halftime and they did great," coach George Karl told the Nuggets' official website of his players.

Danilo Gallinari scored 19 points, Ty Lawson had 18 with nine assists and Kenneth Faried added 14 rebounds for Denver.

"The balance at both ends of the court was probably the best we've played all year," Karl said.

Faried leads the NBA with 66 offensive rebounds, which could make for a compelling battle with Lee at the Warriors' end of the court. Denver is tops in the league with averages of 16.6 offensive boards, 49.3 total rebounds and 51.8 points in the paint.

Faried had 18 points and 17 rebounds in the November meeting with the Warriors, while Andre Iguodala added 19 points with 12 boards and Gallinari scored 21. Thompson had a game-high 23 points but missed a potential go-ahead 3-pointer with 25 seconds left in the second overtime.

The Nuggets' two straight victories have followed a three-game skid. They also opened the season with three consecutive losses before going on a four-game win streak.

Iguodala scores 29 points, Nuggets top Warriors

Posted Nov 24 2012 1:16AM

DENVER (AP) Andre Iguodala scored a season-high 29 points - 20 in the second half - and Ty Lawson had 18 points and nine assists to help the Denver Nuggets beat the Golden State Warriors 102-91 on Friday night.

Danilo Gallinari added 20 points for the Nuggets. They have won three straight.

Warriors scoring leader Stephen Curry was held to six points in his lowest-scoring game since early last season. David Lee led Golden State with 21 points and 10 rebounds, and Carl Landry had 19 points.

Curry, in foul trouble most of the night, attempted only three shots deep into the game and didn't score until he hit a 3-pointer with 3:21 left. He hit another with 1:35 left to cut Denver's lead to 10 at 101-91.

The Warriors missed their first nine shots of the third quarter as Denver went from six down to ahead 62-53 lead. Iguodala scored nine points to ignite a 17-0 run that began at the end of the first half.

With Curry scoreless, Landry and Jack tried to pick up the slack. Landry had six straight points to pull Golden State to 66-63, but Lawson led the way as the Nuggets took a 78-70 lead heading into the fourth.

Denver used a 9-0 run at the 10 minute mark to pull away. Iguodala scored four points and JaVale McGee had a dunk and a free throw that made it 91-74 with 7:28 remaining.

NOTES: Lee has six straight double-doubles and seven in his last eight games. ... Nuggets F Wilson Chandler sat out his fifth straight game. Chandler is still dealing with issues from offseason surgery on his left hip. ... Iguodala's career high is 34.

Notebook: Nuggets 102, Warriors 91

Michael Kelly, for NBA.com
Posted Sat Nov 24, 2012 1:17 AM - Updated Sat Nov 24, 2012 1:17 AM

THE FACTS: Andre Iguodala scored 21 of his season-high 29 points in the second half and the Denver Nuggets came out strong after intermission to beat the Golden State Warriors 102-91 on Friday night.

Ty Lawson had 18 points and nine assists and played tight defense to hold Stephen Curry to six points.

David Lee led the Warriors with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Carl Landry scored 19 points off the bench for the Warriors.

QUOTABLE: "We're not a great defensive team but after 13 games we've won more games with our defense than our offense." -- Nuggets coach George Karl.

THE STAT: Curry came into Friday averaging more than 15 shots per game but put up only five. Foul trouble and Lawson kept him from being a force against the Nuggets.

TURNING POINT: The Nuggets wasted no time in taking control of this one. They ran off the first 15 points of the third quarter to turn a six-point deficit into a 62-53 lead. In the fourth they reeled off nine straight points to take a 17-point lead, their biggest of the game, and put it away.

QUOTABLE II: "They came out with a 15-0 run and we didn't have another punch back at them. The third quarter has been our nemesis. When we play well in the third we win and when we don't, we don't win." -- Curry.

HOT: Klay Thompson made up for Curry's lack of offense in the first half by hitting 4 of 5 from 3-point range and helping to carry the Warriors with 16 points before intermission. It was a strong start after a 23-point performance against Brooklyn on Wednesday, but he couldn't sustain it, going scoreless in the second half

NOT: Curry was a non-factor all night. He had been averaging 26 points in his last three games but didn't score until he drained a 3-pointer with 3:21 left. Before that he was in danger of being held scoreless for the first time since Dec. 28, 2009, when he was a rookie.

QUOTABLE III: "I pressured him as much as I could. I knew if he didn't have a good game, it would be tough for them to stay in the game. It would be difficult for them to stay in the game." -- Lawson.

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: Lee has been a steady performer for the Warriors. Friday was his sixth straight double-double and he is averaging 16.4 points and 11.1 rebounds a game now.

BAD MOVE: With the Nuggets having grabbed momentum, the Warriors went to forward Landry down on the block. Despite giving up 3 inches and 17 pounds to 7-foot Kosta Koufas, he was able to get by him for three straight layups to cut a nine-point deficit to three.

GOOD MOVE: Karl didn't waste time in bringing in a different 7-footer. JaVale McGee came on to guard Landry and forced him into a couple of tough shots.

ROOKIE WATCH: Curry wasn't the only one going through a tough time Friday. Teammate Harrison Barnes was averaging 15 points in the previous five games but hit a rough spot against the Nuggets. He finished with four points on 1-for-5 shooting. Fellow rookie Draymond Green was scoreless in 21 minutes and had five fouls.

NOTABLE: The teams had to finish the first half after coming back from the locker room. Corey Brewer committed an offensive foul with .3 seconds remaining in the second period but the teams had left for the locker room before a video review of the play. The officials decided to wait until they returned to the court before playing the final ticks.

UP NEXT: For the Warriors, Saturday vs. Minnesota, Thursday vs. Denver, Sat., Dec. 1 vs. Indiana. For the Nuggets, Sunday vs. New Orleans, Monday @ Utah, Wednesday @ Golden State.

• Warriors: Bogut, Rush
• Nuggets: Chandler, Miller

• Warriors: --
• Nuggets: --

• Lead Changes: 10
• Times Tied: 10

• Arena: Pepsi Center, Denver, CO
• Officials: #49 Tom Washington, #52 Scott Twardoski, #59 Gary Zielinski
• Attendance: 18523
• Duration: 2:14