Warriors eliminate Nuggets with hard-fought fourth quarter
Led standout performances by Gary Payton II and Stephen Curry, pulled
out the win and advance to the next round
>SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 27: Golden State Warriors’ Stephen
Curry (30) makes a shot against the Denver Nuggets in the second quarter
of Game 5 of their NBA first round playoff series at Chase Center in San
Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, April 27, 2022. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area
News Group)
>SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 27: Golden State Warriors’ Stephen
Curry (30) makes a shot against the Denver Nuggets in the second quarter
of Game 5 of their NBA first round playoff series at Chase Center in San
Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, April 27, 2022. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area
News Group)
By MADELINE KENNEY | mkenney@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
PUBLISHED: April 27, 2022 at 9:43 p.m. | UPDATED: April 28, 2022 at
12:32 a.m.
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2022/04/27/warriors-eliminate-nuggets-with-hard-fought-fourth-quarter/

SAN FRANCISCO — Klay Thompson called Game 5 a must win as the Warriors
certainly didn’t want to have to travel back to Denver to take care of
business.

And while it wasn’t the most aesthetically pleasing performance by the
Warriors, Golden State, led by standout fourth-quarter performances by
Stephen Curry and Gary Payton II, pulled out the win, beating the
Nuggets 102-98 to end the series and advance to the Western Conference
semifinals.

After making his highly anticipated return to the starting lineup after
a month-long absence with a foot injury, Curry was clutch down the
stretch, scoring 11 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter. Payton II
was also big in crunch time. He was a pest on defense and scored 10 of
his 15 points in the final quarter en route to the Warriors’ first
playoff series win since 2019.

It’s “special,” Draymond Green said of the Warriors making it to the
Western Conference semifinals for the seventh time in 10 years. “It
feels a lot more familiar than the last two years felt. That’s who we
are, that’s why we’ve had the success that we’ve had. We know how to win
and we know how to win playoff games. We put the work in and trust in
each other, and the results show in that.”

The Warriors had a strong start to the game as Golden State deployed its
small-ball lineup from the beginning. But the energy within Chase Center
deflated as the first half went on, and by the second half, the
atmosphere was dull until Draymond Green hit a 3-pointer in the third
quarter that reinvigorated the crowd and his teammates.

The Warriors, facing an eight-point deficit entering the fourth quarter,
had a serious momentum shift in the game’s final frame. Golden State
executed on defense by getting stops and held the Nuggets to just six
points in the first eight minutes of the fourth quarter.

Payton II made a 3-pointer to give the Warriors an 86-84 lead with just
under seven minutes remaining in the game, and both teams went scoreless
over the next two-and-a-half minutes.

Thompson ended the scoring drought with a driving layup to give the
Warriors a four-point advantage with just under four minutes left.

After limiting Nikola Jokic to just 12 points in the first half, the
6-foot-11 Serbian center got hot in the second half, scoring 12 points
in the game’s final 12 minutes. He tied the game at 90 apiece with less
than 2:30 remaining. But Payton and Curry responded and led the Warriors
to the victory.

Thompson said “focus in general” was the difference maker in closing out
the game.

“We just communicated better,” he said. “Our rotations were sharper and
when our defense is locked in like that, our offense is easy. So it was
definitely a big talking point in the huddle… to play great defense.”

Jokic finished with 30 points, 19 rebounds and eight assists — a stat
line that Thompson called “nothing short of amazing.”

“He’s a monster in the key,” Thompson said. “Probably has the best touch
in the NBA… Nicola is just a great player who will be very good for a
long time.”

Thompson recorded 15 points and nine rebounds, and Andrew Wiggins had
12. Jordan Poole, who built off his hot finish to the regular season in
the first three playoff games, once again struggled as the Nuggets
applied more pressure to the third-year guard. He scored just eight
points in 26 minutes, going 3-of-10 from the field and 1-of-4 from
three-point territory.

The Warriors will benefit from a few days of rest after taking care of
business in five games. They will face the winner of the matchup between
the second-seeded Grizzlies and seventh-seeded Timberwolves, and that
series would begin no sooner than Sunday. The Grizzlies currently lead
the series 3-2 after Ja Morant made a driving layup in the game’s final
seconds to secure a Game 5 victory Tuesday night. The Timberwolves are
slated to host Game 6 Friday.

--
Madeline Kenney | Warriors reporter