The Golden State Warriors are putting the Western Conference on notice with their outstanding play in the first two games of their matchup with the Denver Nuggets.
The Warriors have taken a commanding 2-0 lead. They have neutralized defending league MVP Nikola Jokic and the entire Nuggets team with a new death lineup with Jordan Poole playing the role of former Warrior Kevin Durant.
The full unit took the court with 6:02 remaining in the second quarter, with Golden State trailing 43-35. By the time the halftime whistle sounded, the Warriors had led, 57-51. The new death lineup, which has yet to receive a proper nickname, launched a 22-8 run in half a quarter, and the way they did it should terrify the Nuggets, but whichever teams get in their way in upcoming playoff rounds.
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“It’s a passer’s paradise for me,” Green said after the Game 2 win. “You’ve got those three guys [Curry, Thompson and Poole] out there at the same time, for me as a passer, that’s heaven. … You can’t ask for anything more on the offensive end, any more options than that.”
Steph Curry came off the bench and shot. Curry shot 12-for-17 (71%) from the field, the highest field goal percentage of his playoff career. It’s the first time in his career he scored 30-plus points in fewer than 25 minutes (regular season or playoffs), even though it was the 48th time he played 25 minutes or less.
The Warriors will look to take a 3 -0 lead in Denver on Thursday night.