DENVER — The Warriors didn’t have their heart and soul in Draymond Green, but Jonathan Kuminga gave all of his.
Kuminga threw down an early dunk, had his best passing game of the season, led fast breaks and competed defensively.
The young Warrior, who has had a bumpy start to the season in varying ways, scored 19 points in a strong all-around game.
But when it was crunch time, The Joker got the last laugh.
Nikola Jokic, the three-time MVP, made every play down the stretch, erasing the Warriors’ eight-point deficit and finishing with 38 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and five steals. With 34 seconds left, he blocked Kuminga’s slashing attempt at the rim and then worked his way to the line for the game-sealing foul shots.
Steph Curry, the Warriors’ MVP counterpart, registered 24 points on 8-for-23 shooting. As the Nuggets finished the game on an 11-0 run, Curry couldn’t find a response.
Despite Kuminga’s effort, the Warriors (12-8) fell, 119-115, for their fifth consecutive loss. Tuesday being the last night of NBA Cup group stage play, the Warriors are in line to go on the road for a knockout matchup — likely at Houston.
Before the game, Nuggets coach Michael Malone reminded his team that the Warriors, losers of four straight, were going to come out hungry. He was right; Golden State snacked early.
Kuminga, back in the starting lineup as Draymond Green (calf) was unavailable, scored nine points in his first eight minutes.
To keep either Curry or Brandin Podziemski — or both — on the court at all times, Steve Kerr subbed out Curry first after five minutes.
Although Kerr’s intended rotational tweaks will have to wait for Green to return, he trimmed his game plan to feature 10 players.
Curry blew by Russell Westbrook for a finger roll before the first-quarter horn, making it 33-31. He added four assists in the opening frame, which featured hot, 5-for-9 3-point shooting from Denver — including three makes from Aaron Gordon and another from Westbrook.
Without Green, the Warriors threw a variety of looks at Nikola Jokic in an effort to try to make him a passer. One play, they sent Andrew Wiggins to the block to double team, and Buddy Hield, the weak-side defender, anticipated his cross-court pass for a steal.
Golden State opened the second quarter on a 23-9 run, turning defensive stops into fast breaks. Their ball movement was beautiful, with Kuminga turning down two decent looks on one possession and displaying patience as Curry relocated into the corner before finding him for a 3. The Warriors assisted on 18 of their first 20 makes.
But then the Nuggets — who have struggled defensively recently — started to turn the Warriors over, resulting in a 15-3 Denver run.
More important than stifling the unstoppable Jokic, the Warriors dominated while the three-time MVP sat. By winning those minutes by 11, the Warriors came out of the halftime break in a tie game.
The Warriors played with the kind of force and energy Kerr has been seeking for the past two weeks. Podziemski dove on the court for a loose ball, igniting a fast break that resulted in an easy Kuminga layup.
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Even as Jokic, who averages 38 minutes per game, played the entire third quarter, the Warriors kept the game close. Looney played him tough in the post and Moses Moody provided a nice burst at the end of the quarter off the bench, finding a cutting Gary Payton II for an assist and burying a baseline fadeaway.
But without Green, and as the turnover bug came for Curry, Golden State had trouble guarding the 3-point line. A 33-point third for Denver put the Nuggets up 90-85 entering the fourth.
Denver opened the fourth with Jokic sitting, giving the Warriors a window to make a run. Like clockwork, Golden State outscored Denver 10-2 in three minutes, a blitz punctuated by a Trayce Jackson-Davis transition slam.
When Jokic returned, the Warriors led 95-92. Three-pointers from Curry and Payton stretched the edge to seven with 7:50 left, and a Moody 3 made it 104-94 as Curry hit the bench for his scheduled rest.
Kerr has talked about not wanting to chase wins and keeping the big picture in mind while managing his 36-year-old star’s minutes, and he didn’t push the limit Tuesday. Eight fourth-quarter points for Moody helped them survive as Curry sat.
Upon his return, Curry found Kuminga for a dunk, then Kuminga nearly drew a charge against Jokic. Instead, replay review overturned the effort into an and-1, shaving Golden State’s advantage to five with 4:22 remaining.
From there, Curry and Jokic — five MVP awards between the two of them — went back-and-forth. Jokic found Gordon for a dunk and hit a baby hook. Curry drilled a fadeaway midrange shot. When Looney fouled out with 1:48 left, the Warriors led 115-111, their ninth clutch game in the past 10 contests.
Jokic tied the game with a jumper over Curry, who was expecting a switch when the center picked up his dribble. Then he iced the game with a pair of free throws, keeling over with his hands on his knees after a 40-minute night. In a four-point win, the Nuggets won Jokic’s minutes by 23.