With a 9-3 record, the Golden State Warriors have been one of the NBA’s best teams in February. The Warriors could have secured a 10th win in the month on Sunday but a 16-point blown lead led to a loss by that same margin at the hands of the Denver Nuggets.
Golden State held its largest lead at the midway point of the second quarter only to see Denver storm back with a 21-5 run in the final 5:22 of the first half. The game was tied at 61 at the half, with the Nuggets scoring 14 consecutive points to end the second quarter.
The Warriors were held to 42 points in the second half and shot 5-for-15 in the fourth quarter of their 119-103 loss.
Despite the loss, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr likes what he’s seeing from his team as of late. Playing a full game on both ends of the court is key for Golden State to get back into playoff contention.
“We have been doing that,” Kerr said, per NBC Sports Bay Area. “It’s two-way basketball. It’s good defense and solid offense. The last few weeks we’ve been doing both. We’ve been playing well at both ends.”
Jockeying for position
Four games separate the Warriors from a guaranteed playoff spot while eight games are between 10th place Golden State and the top 4 in the Western Conference. Though the Warriors likely won’t get to a top 4 seed and host a first-round matchup, they can at least close the cap and potentially avoid the play-in tournament with another hot stretch.
Golden State is 2-12 against those top 4 teams in the West – the Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma City Thunder, Los Angeles Clippers and Nuggets. Recent losses to the Nuggets and Clippers still show the Warriors have some gaps to fill, but on its best night, Golden State has the potential to beat anyone.
“Tonight just wasn’t our night,” Kerr said.”Shots weren’t going, we didn’t get into much of a rhythm. I’m confident that we can get back on track because we’ve been playing really well lately.”
The Warriors have plenty of big matchups left but crunch time is officially here with less than two months until the start of the playoffs. Steve Kerr and crew have to improve on the fly or risk dropping out of contention before the postseason begins.
About the Author
Andrew Meyers is an avid sports fan with a fondness for Philadelphia teams that rarely love him back. He has two degrees from Quinnipiac University, including a master’s in sports journalism. Outside of ClutchPoints, Meyers does play-by-play broadcasting for various colleges in the northeast.
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