The Golden State Warriors defeated the Denver Nuggets, 92-88, to eliminate Denver and advance to the Western Conference semifinals. The Warriors will face the San Antonio Spurs in the second round.
The Nuggets fell behind the Warriors after leading through the first half, trailing by as many as 18 after the third quarter. But Golden State had 10 fourth-quarter turnovers, coughing up what looked like a sure victory. Two free throws by Kenneth Faried with 32.4 seconds left brought the Nuggets to within two.
Following a timeout, the Warriors committed yet another turnover on the inbounds pass. Denver pushed the ball up court, but Wilson Chandler missed two shots at the rim that would have tied the game. Golden State recovered the ball and Jarrett Jack eventually made two free throws to ice the game.
Things started off on the right foot for Denver. Ty Lawson had a game-high 12 points at the half, asserting himself on the offensive end and getting open looks against a Warriors defense that wasn't challenging Lawson. While Denver struggled to score effectively outside of Lawson shooting only 34 percent from the field, they controlled the offensive glass and had 13 first half offensive rebounds.
Denver held Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry to a combined nine points through the first half. They made no three-point field goals in the first half. Denver pushed their lead to 11 points. After controlling the game through the majority of the first two quarters, they allowed the Warriors to get back into the game and the difference was only two points going into halftime.
Then, the third quarter momentum swing came. After the teams went back and forth to open the third quarter, Curry opened the game. His first three of the game turned the crowd up a notch, but his second three the following possession had the Oracle Arena erupting. More importantly, the Warriors had their biggest lead of the game thus far going up six points.Curry followed that up with a third three-point field goal, and to put a bow on his takeover stretch, he drove and dished to Andrew Bogut.
Curry was playing great basketball in the third quarter after being a non-factor to start the game, putting in 14 points in the third quarter. The fundamentally sound defense that had bogged down the Warriors' offense had broken back down as Curry took control of the game. By the time the quarter ended it was the Warriors looking at an 11 point lead going into the fourth quarter.
The Warriors outscored Denver 33-20 in the third quarter. The damage was done to Denver. They had fallen behind, the sound defensive work they executed through the first half was thrown out of the window, and the Warriors had gained momentum. Golden State never looked back after the momentous run sparked by Curry, and now they'll look ahead to the next round of the playoffs.
Denver struggled from the field, shooting only 35 percent from the field. While they had 13 first half offensive rebounds, they had only six more through the second half. The extra chances they needed to stay ahead of Golden State earlier were gone, and so were the Warriors.
Even with the Nuggets tightening their defensive grip on Golden State in the fourth quarter, their inability to generate offense made it a tough hill to climb. Still, Denver brought the Warriors 18 point lead down to four points with four minutes remaining for a final run. The Nuggets hounded the Golden state to the end, down by as little as two with 10 seconds left. Denver's desperation wasn't enough to overcome the third quarter from Golden State, though, and the Warriors held onto the victory.
Andrew Bogut played big for Golden State, scoring 14 points, blocking four shots and pulling down 21 rebounds. Curry finished the night. Curry finished the night with 22 points and eight assists. Thompson had a quiet night, making only three of his 13 field goals.
The Nuggets were led by Andre Iguodala's 24 points. JaVale McGee had ten rebounds and nine points. Lawson started off the night hot, but was not aggressive in the second half and finished with 17 points.
An entertaining series has come to an end. The Warriors will advance to face the systematic Spurs, and the Nuggets are off to evaluate their roster through the Summer.
More from SB Nation:
• Celtics survive, push Knicks' swagger into grave
• Of course Jordan Crawford said something horrible
• The NBA's best GIFs from Wednesday
• Longform: The secret world of NBA daps