Isaiah J. Downing-US Presswire
The Golden State Warriors felt they got a little roughed up Tuesday night as the Denver Nuggets played aggressively and got the win at home to force a Game 6 in Oakland. The Nuggets played their best game so far in the NBA playoffs and were up by as many as 22, never relinquishing the lead.
Andre Iguodala was three assists away from a triple-double and led the team both in points and minutes. He led the way as the team found a defensive presence and the Nuggets looked like a different team entirely behind the ball.
Ty Lawson and Kenneth Faried both had double-doubles, and the team had six players in double-digits as the they kept hopes alive that they can force a Game 7 back at the Pepsi Center. Wilson Chandler was huge from 3-point land and made some clutch shots down the final stretch of the game. JaVale McGee got the start and both he and Kosta Koufos looked a lot better than they have the last few games.
For some reason, coach George Karl kept McGee and Koufos out of the game when Golden State was threatening to come back in the fourth quarter, despite the two centers being a huge reason why the Nuggets had such a big lead.
Stephen Curry and Golden State Coach Mark Jackson felt the Nuggets played too physically, crossing the line into playing dirty.
Yes, of course the Nuggets played a physical game — their season is on the line. They were simply not going to go down without a fight.
Faried unleashed the Manimal and eventually fouled out of the game. He was accused of playing dirty primarily against Curry and he felt he was simply giving the Warriors a taste of their own medicine.
“They’ve been hitting me and pushing me and shoving me the whole series. I’ve been hit in the throat, got my hair pulled a couple times. And I don’t say much. I just keep going. I might say, ‘Yo, ref, what about this play or that play,’ and they don’t really say anything. But, hey, when we do it we’re playing dirty,” Faried said to the Washington Post after Game 5.
The Warriors are simply exaggerating and maybe looking for a little sympathy next game, but expect the Nuggets to play the same way. They have to play with the same energy and intensity as they showed in Game 5 if they have any chance of winning three straight to make it to the semifinals to play the San Antonio Spurs.
The Nuggets squandered a huge lead and only ended up winning the game by seven. Hopefully the team can find the early momentum and keep it going with the crowd against them in the next game Thursday night in Oakland. If not, the season’s over too early once again. After winning 57 games in the regular season, including winning the regular season series over the Warriors, expectations were high for Denver coming into the postseason.
The Nuggets were only 19-22 on the road in the regular season and lost games three and four in Oakland this series. Now they have to go into enemy territory and try and take the crowd out of the game early and late. The Warriors will undoubtedly be looking to return the physical play, and it is also a must-win for them as they definitely do not want to return to Denver on Saturday (if necessary).
Joe Newsome is a Denver Nuggets contributing writer for Rant Sports. Follow him on Twitter @josocah, check out his Facebook page and add him to your network on Google.
