3 things to know: Steph Curry’s 35 points not enough against Nikola Jokic and Nuggets, 114-104

On Thursday night in Denver, the first quarter set the tone for the rest of the contest between the Nuggets and Warriors. Paul Millsap, JaMychal Green and Jamal Murray led a 37-24 first-quarter stretch, setting up the Nuggets for the rest of the game.

Although the Warriors made runs to cut into Denver’s lead behind Steph Curry and James Wiseman, sloppy defense and untimely turnovers torched any chances of a Golden State comeback on Friday.

Each time the Warriors attempted to cut Denver’s advantage to around the 10-point mark, Nikola Jokic took over. The two-time All-Star controlled the pace of the game while racking up a triple-double at 23 points on 8-of-16 shooting from the field with 14 rebounds and 10 assists. Jokic added three steals in 23 minutes against the Warriors.

After falling to the Nuggets, 114-104, the Golden State Warriors schedule doesn’t get any easier. Following three days without a game due to the league postponing Friday’s contest in Phoenix, the Warriors will travel to Staples Center on Monday for a matchup with the defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers.

Turnovers

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The Warriors were loose with the basketball on Thursday, turning the rock over 19 times against the Nuggets. Mike Malone's rotation turned Golden State's sloppy handles into 20 points off turnovers in the contest. Although he led the game in scoring with 35 points, Steph Curry also led the game in turnovers with seven. Behind Curry was Golden State's other All-Star, Draymond Green. The former Defensive Player of the Year tacked on five turnovers. Curry and Green's turnover marks were season-highs through 12 games.

Steph Curry

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Although he turned over the basketball, Steph Curry was able to get back into a scoring rhythm on Thursday. Prior to arriving in Denver, the two-time Most Valuable Player had two challenging performances, scoring 20 and 11 points in his previous two games. In Denver, Curry led the game in scoring, recording 35 points on 14-of-23 shooting from the field. The sharpshooting guard also drilled five long-distance jumpers on 11 attempts from beyond the arc. Curry notched a double-double, adding 11 rebounds, four assists and two steals.

Quiet bench

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One of the bright spots of Golden State's seven-game homestand was the development of Steve Kerr's second unit. Led by Eric Paschall, Damion Lee and Brad Wanamaker, the Warriors bench was making an impact in each contest. With Paschall back in the rotation after missing Tuesday's game against the Indiana Pacers, Golden State's bench was quiet in Denver. Paschall led the group with eight points on 2-of-9 shooting from the field with five rebounds in 21 minutes. After providing a consistent effort off the bench to start the season, Damion Lee only scored two points on 1-of-3 shooting with five assists in 19 minutes. No members of Golden State's second unit scored in double figures.