“Yes, we will cross the bridge when we reach it,” Kerr said, smiling. Poole shone in his playoff debut with 30 points, staying in the starting line-up as Curry returned from a leg injury and the Warriors drowned out Nikola Jokic by defeating the Denver Nuggets 123-107 on Saturday night in their first game in a row. first round. “Jordan Poole, wow, what a playoff debut,” said Clay Thompson. “… He’s just unbelievable. What a star in the works “. Finally healthy, Thompson returned to the playoffs for the first time in almost three years and scored 19 points with five three-pointers, and the perimeter combination of Curry, Poole and Thompson was too much for the Nuggets. “It’s very deadly,” Poole said. Jokic had 25 points and 10 rebounds for Denver, facing a suffocating defense from Draymond Green and Kevin Looney as he shot 12 of 25. Jokic was credited with both for his hard shots. “They have the tools. “I think I lost some easily, but I think I was defended very well,” said Jokic. “So I have to get better. I just have to do at least lay-ups and easy shots.” Game 2 of the top seven is Monday night at the Chase Center – which hosted its first playoff game since opening in the fall of 2019. Fans received black T-shirts that read “Gold Blooded”. Carrie came off the bench to contribute 16 points in 21 minutes after losing exactly one month with a sprained ankle in his left leg. The MVP twice tried it in a match on Thursday, came off the bench and had a minute limit. He checked in at 5:58 of the first ten minutes with an enthusiastic applause. Curry missed his first five shots before a lay-up that followed the goalkeeper against Aaron Gordon 1:14 before halftime, then knocked down 3 from the top of the arc as the Warriors took a 58-47 lead at halftime. Golden State has won its last five games to end the regular season and continues to roll. “Give them credit. This is a very talented team with huge experience in the playoffs. “I think the key was the end of the second half,” said Nuggets coach Michael Malone. “You do not want to play from behind in this building against this team.” Jokic averaged 28 points, 15.8 rebounds and 8.8 assists in four games against the Warriors, three won by the Nuggets but only one with a double-digit number. But Green had not faced Denver this season, so his addition was huge. “You feel it. He took it one step further,” Poole said of Green. “Being our leader, we nurture his energy.” Green scored 3 from the top over Djokic with 1:47 remaining in third, and then the Nuggets star made a comeback a few moments later as Gary Peyton II made headers with a basket that raised Golden State to 89 -68. Green finished with 12 points, nine assists, six rebounds and three blocks for a Warriors team that lost last year in the playoffs to Memphis and returned to the playoffs for the first time since losing the 2019 NBA Finals to six. games in toronto. This was Thompson’s last playoff game, when he suffered a torn ACL in his left knee that required surgery before tearing his right Achilles tendon in November 2020 and repairing it – which cost him more than 2 1/2 years until return in January. Gordon and Thompson were hit with double techniques at 6:25 of the second. “We can not beat ourselves and the Warriors in the same game,” said Malone, “and we did it tonight.” debut in PLAYOFF Poole warmed up with a “Poole Party” T-shirt and then dazzled on the big stage after the season, shooting 9 for 13 to 5 3 while starting in Carrie’s place. He joined Wilt Chamberlain and Mitch Richmond as the only players in franchise history with 30 points in a post-season debut. With 2:54 before half time, Poole cut one and then the other through the lay-off key and received a foul from Will Burton and converted the game to three points. Poole shouted, celebrating as Carrie looked at him happily. “There is no better feeling than having the kids behind you who have already been through the race,” Poole said. He made his first six shots and had 17 points with a break. TIPS Nuggets: DeMarcus Cousins was sent off with 10:28 remaining after continuous techniques. He had seven points and two rebounds against his former team. … Denver shot 11 for 35 from deep, Jokic lost four attempts for three points. Warriors: Looney, who played all 82 games of the regular season, took seven boards as the Warriors led the rebounds 41-35. … The Warriors scored 6-6 without Curry, winning the last five games of the regular season. ——
