DENVER – Had the Warriors held off the Nuggets on Tuesday night at Ball Arena, they would have played an NBA Cup quarterfinal game.
Instead, Nikola Jokic fueled an eventual 11-0 run as the Warriors lacked execution late in the game. The Warriors lost, 119-115, for their fifth straight loss.
While the current slide is more relevant than any NBA Cup offshoot, the result has added a new life-or-death game to the lineup. The Warriors (12-8) won their NBA Cup bracket but will travel to Houston to face the Rockets in the quarterfinals on Dec. 11 at 6:30 p.m. PT. If they win, they will travel to Las Vegas for the semifinals against the winner of Oklahoma City and Dallas.
The Warriors have always expressed their desire to win the NBA Cup – and the prize money that comes with it. However, returning to the winning column is his top priority.
“We’re trying to get out of this hole any way we can,” Steph Curry said after the Nuggets’ loss. “I have to play a little bit desperately and try different things.”
A tightened scenario, similar to a playoff, could be a good opportunity to test the changes. Steve Kerr plans to adjust his rotation when Draymond Green – who has been dealing with daily calf tightness and has an MRI scheduled for Wednesday – returns. The team wants to focus on some recurring issues, such as: E.g. execution late in the game and unforced ball losses.
Houston presents unique matchup problems. In the Warriors’ first meeting with the Rockets, energetic bench players Tari Eason and Amen Thompson canceled out Golden State’s 31-point lead and helped force overtime. Golden State escaped with a win, and players said it was the kind of victory they missed last season.
Eason and Thompson were outstanding for the Rockets, who are 15-7 and in second place in the Western Conference. Houston ranks third in the league in defensive rating, with an aggressive style that emphasizes ball pressure organized by coach Ime Udoka.
The Rockets recently lost 120-11 to the Kings in their final group game. But their +40 margin of victory in the NBA Cup moved them into second place in the West ahead of the Warriors.
Ironically, the Warriors’ next game will be at Chase Center against the Rockets, providing a preview of the elimination round. Thursday’s Rockets game is the first in a row, with Minnesota traveling to San Francisco for the return game.
If the Warriors lose to the Rockets on December 11th, they will be eliminated from the NBA Cup and will lose at home to the Mavericks-Thunder on December 15th.
