OAKLAND, Calif. -- Look left, and there's Kevin Durant diving into the stands trying to save a ball from going out of bounds. Look right, and you see Draymond Green on the opposite sideline, falling into the stands after blocking a Will Barton 3-point attempt. Look anywhere on the court, and there's DeMarcus Cousins, stripping the ball from All-Star Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, then subtly shaking his head with a "don't test me" smirk on his face as he jogs down court.
For the third consecutive meeting, the Golden State Warriors thumped the Denver Nuggets -- their main competition for the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference -- 116-99, winning the season series 3-1 and sending yet another message in the process. Denver coach Mike Malone talked before the game about the teams' first meeting in Denver this season, when the Warriors scored 51 points in the first quarter and punched his upstart group in the mouth.
This time around, the punches came on the other end of the court.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr was excited before the game, saying that the last time he could remember the Warriors playing a meaningful game this far into the season was during their 73-win 2015-16 campaign, when they were not only vying for NBA history, but also trying to stay ahead of the pesky San Antonio Spurs, who finished that season with 67 wins. Kerr said his players would be ready for Denver -- that was an understatement.
"It was great energy, great atmosphere. We needed that coming into tonight, knowing it was a big game," Stephen Curry said after the win. "Tonight was a reminder of what playoff atmosphere is like, and how we can elevate our game and, you know, dominate."
After taking just 11 shots combined in two games last week, Durant was flawless offensively on Tuesday -- seamlessly blending his newfound penchant for facilitating with his old-school repertoire, and punctuating it with thunderous dunks that nearly blew the roof off of Oracle Arena. But it was his energy on the defensive end, including two vicious blocks, that helped set the tone for the suffocating defense his team would play all night. Durant was ejected from the game in the third quarter after picking up two technical fouls, but the damage was already done. The Warriors had blitzed the Nuggets once again, and shown championship-level defense in the process.
Golden State entered the game 13th in the NBA in defensive rating, a far cry from where they've been in every year of this dynastic run. A lot of it has to do with lethargy from night to night, and the increased pace and 3-point shooting from teams across the league, but some felt it could be a potentially dangerous issue for a Warriors team that clearly lacks the air of invincibility it's had for the last several years.
On Tuesday they proved that they're more than capable of ratcheting up a defense that smothered the No. 6 team in the NBA in offensive efficiency. It's fitting that Cousins was one of the defensive stars of the night, since he had recently been viewed as the potential -- wait for it -- Achilles heel for the Golden State defense. Early on in his return from injury, teams relentlessly targeted Cousins in the pick-and-roll, occasionally exploiting him with quick, scoring guards. Not only did Cousins lock up Jokic on Tuesday (Jokic had 10 points on 4-of-10 shooting with six turnovers), but he also may have proven that his early struggles had more to do with his injury recovery than his inability to handle switches. Cousins also had a season-high 28 points, by the way.
"He's dominated that matchup these last couple of times, and it's good to see," Green said of Cousins after the game. "Since his injury, a lot of people try to put some guys before him, and he goes at every one of them. It's personal for him, and when you can kind of back that up with the talent that he has, it's special to watch."
Just as they have all season, the Warriors showed that when they're engaged, they are still the best team in the NBA. Whether they can do it consistently in the playoffs is another story, but the fact that they won on Tuesday with devastating, elite defense should have potential playoff opponents shaking in their sneakers.
"Our defense has been better the last couple games, and I expect this to continue," Kerr said after the game. "This is how we'd like to play in the playoffs, with the aggressive defense, and it gives us a lot of confidence when we can stop the other team and get into the open floor."
Yep, just what the Warriors needed ... more confidence.
