The Denver Nuggets are off to a good start in this year's preseason. They defeated the reigning NBA champion Golden State Warriors, 108-102, at the Oracle Arena. Leading the Nuggets was Paul Millsap who provided a double-double performance. Denver's biggest offseason acquisition had 22 points, 11 rebounds, and two assists, in 25 minutes of action.
Helping Millsap in scoring was his fellow starter Nikola Jokic. The 22-year-old tallied 12 points, six rebounds, with two assists. Three players from the Nuggets bench also scored in double-digits. These were Emmanual Mudiay, Mason Plumlee, and Will Barton.
Mudiay exploded for 19 points, while Plumlee and Barton listed 10 points each.
From the looks of it, the Nuggets made the right offseason moves when they added Millsap back in July and re-signed Plumlee in September. Millsap inked a three-year pact with the organization that will earn him $90 million. Meanwhile, Plumlee also has a three-year deal (worth $41 million) with Denver.
Team effort for the Dubs
The Warriors lost to the Nuggets, but every player head coach Steve Kerr used during the game contributed on offense. Stephen Curry top-scored for the Dubs with 11 points, though he shot poorly from the field. The two-time MVP only made 3-of-12 attempts, including 1-of-7 from the three-point territory.
Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant both had 10 points for the champs.
Draymond Green also struggled offensively against the Nuggets. He only chipped in four points on 2-of-9 shooting (0-of-5 from the three-point country). The 2016-17 Defensive Player of the Year made it up to Golden State by recording eight rebounds, four assists, one steal, and one block.
To complete the performance of the Warriors' starting lineup, Zaza Pachulia added six points, six rebounds, one assist, and a steal, in just 12 minutes.
On to the next one
Next on Denver's preseason schedule is a two-game series taking on the Los Angeles Lakers. The first game will be on October 2 at the Staples Center. The Lakers are aiming to bounce back versus the Nuggets after getting beat by the Minnesota Timberwolves in their preseason opener, 108-99.
Similar to the Nuggets, The Warriors have a two-game series for their next assignment this preseason. Golden State is going to face Minnesota twice. The first meeting is on October 5, which will take place at the Shenzhen Universiade Center in Guangdong, China.
