SAN FRANCISCO — The surprise holders of the second-best record in the NBA, the Warriors’ attitude entering the All-Star break shouldn’t have depended on one game. But facing injuries and defensive slippage that had led to losses in three of their past four contests, that’s where they found themselves entering their first-half finale Wednesday against the Denver Nuggets.
After a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from Denver’s Monte Morris negated the clutch performance of Steph Curry, it will be hard to take anything but somber vibes into the All-Star break, unable to capitalize on a loss by third-place Memphis. The Warriors led for every moment but the very final seconds in a 117-116 loss to the Nuggets that sends Golden State into the All-Star break as losers of four of their past five, holding a slim 1.5-game lead on the second seed in the Western Conference.
The Warriors got a balanced offensive effort that featured seven players in double figures — led by Curry’s 25 — and built a lead as large as 16 points, but Denver spent the second half whittling it down until finally taking its first lead with 14 seconds left. Curry missed on a step-back 3-pointer that ricocheted long off the rim, off the tips of Andrew Wiggins’ fingers and into the hands of Morris, who had nobody between him and the go-ahead bucket.
