The Golden State Warriors played round one of the NBA finals against the Denver Nuggets and they won the first match of round one and took a 1-0 lead with a prominent victory. Warriors outduel Nuggets with 123-107 wins in the first-ever playoff game at Chase Center.
Nuggets were one point ahead of the Warriors at the end of the first quarter of the game. The competitive fire started after the Warriors took control of the contest in the second quarter gaining an 18-4 run to close out the first half of the game and taking a significant lead over the Nuggets.
The Warriors with the same energy entered in the third quarter denting the Nuggets’ defense and enchaining their attack to extend their lead to 24 points at the end of the third quarter.
Team leaders from the Warriors’ roaster were their guard Jordan Poole who made impressive 30 points, Thompson put 19 points and off the bench Stephen Curry 16 points in only 22 minutes along with contributing 3 rebounds and 4 assists. Wiggins on other hand was the leader of the team in the rebounds column (9) and Green in the Assists column (9).
From the Denver Nuggets’ side, their big man Nikola Jokic played 35 minutes and contributed 25 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists. Leading in all three major contributing columns. Will Barton, who scored 24 points, at the same time supported significantly Jokic, but that was not enough at all. In the end, they lost with a big mark.
DeMarcus Cousins ejection
A 12-year veteran, DeMarcus Cousins, off the bench played only for 10 minutes and score 7 points, two rebounds, and two assists. It was his first playoff game against his old team. His game against Golden State Warriors came to an abrupt ending when he was ejected in the fourth quarter with 10:28 minutes left after being whistled for two consecutive technical fouls.
The star big man, DeMarcus Cousins, appeared surprised after he was whistled for the first technical foul. He argued with the officials and that ended with his second technical foul and automatic ejection.
Nuggets coach Michael Malone said he didn’t think Cousins did anything to warrant the technical fouls. Malone further said:
“It happened right in front of me, I did not see or hear DeMarcus do anything from my vantage point that would have required a [first] technical foul to be called”
And the ensuing one, I guess Scott Foster said he said a few choice words which warranted the second technical foul.
“Again, I did not see or hear anything for that first tech. That is something that we can look at and maybe speak to the league about, because from my vantage point, just didn’t seem warranted.”
Denver Nuggets guard, Will Barton, said:
“DeMarcus just has to be aware. He knows his reputation, and he knows that the slightest little thing is going to give him a technical foul. We have to talk to him and get him to understand that we can’t have that. We just can’t give them any extra points.”
What is Next?
The Golden State Warriors after getting a 1-0 lead in the first round of the playoffs will look ahead to hosting the Denver Nuggets for Game 2 at Chase Center on Monday, April 18 at 7 p.m. (US time).
It will be all fresh and things can expectedly make their turn anywhere. Nothing can be predicted at this stage. As both teams are strong and competitive enough to turndown results at any side.
Important notes of the Denver Nuggets vs Golden State Warriors first game:
Tonight marked the franchise’s first playoff win in San Francisco and the first game hosted in the city in 58 years of NBA history. It was the first-ever playoff appearance tonight for Jordan Poole, Damion Lee, Gary Payton II, Juan Toscano-Anderson, and rookies Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody. The Golden State Warriors have won the first game of a playoff series in 13 of its last 14 series.
Stay Tuned! And Keep reading Shahzada TV for the latest sports News and Updates.
Also Read:
- The Best Performing Player Wins the Award in PSL 7
- How To Choose The Right Sport For You: A Comprehensive Guide
- The top 10 Greatest Athletes of all time
- The Top 10 Skin Care Tips For Women Over 30
- 10 ways to train like a professional athlete in 2022
- New Orleans Pelicans booked No 8 seed by beating Clippers
