The Golden State Warriors’ impressive seven-game winning streak came to an end on Monday night as they fell 114-105 to the Denver Nuggets, who secured the victory despite being without key players Nikola Jokić, Jamal Murray, and Christian Braun.
Stephen Curry, who has been in exceptional form recently, had an uncharacteristically off night, shooting just 4-of-14 from three-point range and turning the ball over seven times.
Following the defeat, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr provided a candid assessment of his star player’s energy levels after an extended run of high-intensity performances.
“He’s tired,” Kerr said. “Steph’s been carrying us for a month. He’s been amazing. He’s tired, so we got to get him some rest. Just you can see it. He doesn’t have his energy right now.”
“He’s exhausted right now,” Kerr added. “We’ve got to absolutely consider giving him a night and getting him rejuvenated for the sake of him and the remainder of our games. We’ll see. But I think he’s been tired the last few games so we’ve got to find a way to get him his juice back.”
Curry logged 35 minutes in the loss and has been averaging 26.6 points and 6.6 assists per game throughout March.
The Warriors have positioned themselves to bypass the Play-In tournament, currently holding the sixth seed in the Western Conference playoff race.
Their postseason potential hinges largely on Curry’s performance and durability in the coming months, making it likely that the team will take strategic measures to ensure their veteran sharpshooter remains fresh for the stretch run.
Warriors Make Wrong Kind of NBA History During Loss to Nuggets
The Golden State Warriors hosted the Denver Nuggets on Monday night, aiming to extend their seven-game winning streak.
However, despite Denver being severely short-handed—with Nikola Jokić, Jamal Murray, Christian Braun, and Julian Strawther all ruled out—the Warriors stumbled to a 114-105 defeat.
Russell Westbrook notched the 203rd triple-double of his career, while Aaron Gordon erupted for a season-high 38 points to lead the Nuggets to victory.
Meanwhile, Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler—who has been a strong addition since arriving from Miami—could not prevent what became a historically poor performance for Golden State.
The Warriors became the first team in NBA or WNBA history to shoot under 25% from three-point range (on at least 30 attempts), under 60% from the free-throw line (on at least 25 attempts), and commit at least 20 turnovers in a single game.
Most of Golden State’s core players were available, with the only exception being rookie guard Brandon Podziemski, who was sidelined with a lower back strain.
The loss marked the Warriors’ ninth consecutive regular-season defeat against the Nuggets, a streak dating back to their last victory over Denver on March 10, 2022.
With 14 games remaining in the regular season, the Warriors will get another shot at the Nuggets on April 4. In the meantime, they will attempt to regroup quickly, as they face the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday.
Head coach Steve Kerr has already hinted that Curry may sit out the second game of the back-to-back due to fatigue, as the team looks to keep their star guard fresh for the playoff push.
