Warriors at Nuggets
The Golden State Warriors are finding their mark from the 3-point line and search for their third consecutive victory when they visit the Denver Nuggets on Thursday. Golden State made 17 3-pointers while rolling to a 116-95 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday two nights after sinking 16 3-pointers in Monday's win over the New Orleans Pelicans.
Standout guard Stephen Curry has made 17 3-pointers in the two wins — including his NBA-record 13 in the victory over New Orleans — and briefly left the Dallas game after tweaking an ankle before returning. Curry was one of four players to make four 3-pointers against the Mavericks — the first time in NBA history that has occurred — with the others being forwards Kevin Durant and Draymond Green and shooting guard Klay Thompson. Denver looks to bounce back from a draining 108-107 loss to Memphis on Tuesday when Grizzlies center Marc Gasol knocked down the game-winning shot at the buzzer. "It's not nice, because we're right there," point guard Emmanuel Mudiay said afterward. "We've got to win them. If we're that close, you don't want to come in second place."
TV: 9 p.m. ET, CSN Bay Area (Golden State), Altitude (Denver)
ABOUT THE WARRIORS (6-2): Thompson, who scored 20 points against Dallas, has struggled to find his role with Durant added to the mix but he was hot early with 18 points in the first eight minutes. Thompson connected on his first seven shots — including his four 3-pointers — en route to his second straight outing of 20 or more points after reaching the mark just once over the first six games. "I feel it's coming every game, honestly," Thompson said afterward. "I won't let missed shots dictate how hard I play. As long as I play hard, I know I'll be successful. It's that simple."
ABOUT THE NUGGETS (3-4): Mudiay has strung together back-to-back strong offensive performances, scoring a season-high 30 in Sunday's win over the Boston Celtics and coming back with 23 against the Grizzlies. Mudiay made 18-of-31 shots over the two games after being 4-for-25 the previous two contests and he is saddled with a meager 36.6 shooting percentage. Small forward Danilo Gallinari tallied a season-best 21 points against Memphis to raise his average to 17.1 and he has scored at least 15 points in all seven games.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Warriors won three of last season's four meetings.
2. Durant had 28 points against Dallas for his 72nd consecutive game of 20 or more points, tying Michael Jordan for the fourth-longest streak in NBA history.
3. Denver swingman Will Barton (ankle) will miss his fifth straight game and is expected to be sidelined for another week.