Golden State Warriors @ Denver Nuggets
Monday, December 25, 2023 at 2:30 PM ET
Ball Arena, Denver, CO | Game ID: 22300402
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
DEN 29 24 39 28 120GSW 26 28 35 25 114
ESPN UpdateESPN Update
Jokic a perfect 18-of-18 from free-throw line, draws ire of Kerr, as Nuggets beat Warriors 120-114
DENVER -- — Nikola Jokic 's frequent parade to the free-throw line was a sore subject for Steve Kerr.
The Golden State coach doesn't feel like defense gets rewarded consistently enough in today's NBA.
Jokic overcame an off day from the field by going 18 of 18 from the free-throw line and the Denver Nuggets extended their winning streak to five games by holding off the Warriors 120-114 on Monday .
Jokic finished with 26 points despite a 4-of-12 showing from the floor. He set a career-high with his 18 made free throws. In all, the Nuggets were 26 of 32 from the free-throw line.
“I have no problem with the officials themselves,” Kerr said after the game. “I have a problem with the way we are legislating defense out of the game. That’s what we’re doing. The way we’re teaching officials, we’re just enabling to players to (fool) their way to the foul line. If I was a fan, I wouldn’t have wanted to watch the second half of that game. It was disgusting.
“It was just baiting refs into calls. But the refs have to make those calls because that’s how they’re taught.”
The combination of Kevon Looney and rookie Trayce Jackson-Davis took turns trying to contain Jokic, who didn’t have his customary touch around the basket. Jokic made up for it by being more aggressive and getting to the line.
“He gets fouled a lot. He gets beat up down there,” explained Jamal Murray , who scored a game-high 28 points. “It’s hard to call every foul, I understand. They can only do so much.”
Kerr said that players are “smart in this league. Over the last decade, they’ve gotten smarter and smarter. We have enabled the players and they’re taking full advantage and it’s a parade to the free-throw line. It’s disgusting to watch.”
Stephen Curry weighed in on the topic, too.
“When there’s physicality, it’s tough because it’s inconsistent at times on either side,” said Curry, who took a bit to warm up, not scoring until midway through the second quarter, but heated up to finish with 18 points. “A night like tonight, you feel like there’s physicality on one side and then kind of ticky-tack on the other and then they get into the bonus and it changes the (complexion) of the game. It’s not like we don’t foul. I’m not saying that.
"It was tough tonight, slowed the whole game down. (Jokic) made every free throw and changed the momentum, played into their hands.”
Jokic also had 14 rebounds and eight assists.
Last Christmas, the Nuggets big man erupted for 41 points, 15 rebounds and 15 assists in an overtime win over Phoenix .
All five Denver starters scored in double figures, with Michael Porter Jr . (19 points, 10 rebounds) and Aaron Gordon (16 points, 10 rebounds) both posting double-doubles.
It was a back-and-forth game that featured nine lead changes in the second half. Denver took the lead for good on Jokic's left-handed hook shot with 5:16 remaining.
“We closed the fourth and we had a lot of guys step up and make timely plays down the stretch of a close game,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “Winning makes a world of difference.”
Andrew Wiggins gave the Warriors a boost by scoring 22 points as he returned to the floor after missing two games with an illness.
Golden State played on Christmas for an 11th straight year.
The Warriors moved to 5-2 since the indefinite suspension of Draymond Green after striking Phoenix center Jusuf Nurkic in the face. Kerr said before the game that Green has mostly stayed away during his suspension. Kerr added that he has been in contact with the training staff and the coaches.
UP NEXT
Warriors: Begin a seven-game homestand Thursday against Miami.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
DENAG A. Gordon
CB C. Braun
JM J. Murray
JS J. Strawther
JO Jokic
KC K. Caldwell-Pope
MP M. Porter Jr.
NJ N. Jokić
PW P. Watson
RJ R. Jackson
ZN Z. Nnaji
GSWAW A. Wiggins
BP B. Podziemski
CP C. Paul
DŠ D. Šarić
JK J. Kuminga
KL K. Looney
KT K. Thompson
SC S. Curry
SA Saric
TJ T. Jackson-Davis
DEN/GSW the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur