San Francisco (AP) coach Steve Kerr is suddenly faced with a playoff conundrum: Reinvent Stephen Curry for Game 2 of the playoffs for Golden State and get Jordan Poole back on the bench or so good in the opener. Be with the workman and be extra cautious with the curry.
'Yeah, we'll cross that bridge when we come over it,'" Kerr said with a smile.
Poole, shining 30 points in his playoff debut, remained in the starting lineup as Curry returned from a leg injury, and the Warriors defeated the Denver Nuggets 123–107 on Saturday night in Game 1 of the first-round series with Nikola Jokic. suffocated.
"Jordan Poole, wow, what a playoff debut," said Klay Thompson. ''... she's just unbelievable. Is becoming a star?
Healthy at the end, Thompson returned to the playoff stage for the first time in nearly three years and scored 19 points with five 3-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 defenses in the paint from Draymond Green and Kevon Looney, while shooting 12 for 25.
Game 2 is Monday night at the Chase Center in the Best of Seven series - which hosted its first playoff game since the start of 2019. Fans received black T-shirts reading 'Gold Blooded'.
"No need to panic," said Nuggets guard Monte Morris. "We've been down before, we've been up before. There's still a lot of basketball left to play. Our point is just to be together."
Curry came off the bench to contribute 16 points in 21 minutes after missing exactly one month due to a sprain in his left leg. The two-time MVP tested it in a scrimmage on Thursday, came off the bench and was handed a one-minute ban. He checked the encouraging ovation at the 5:58 mark of the first quarter.
Curry missed his first five shots before the layup, which went on a goalscoring call against Aaron Gordon 1:14 before halftime, then dropped a 3 down the top of the arc as the Warriors took a 58–47 lead at the break. Took.
Golden State went on to win their final five games to end the regular season.
"Give them credit. This is a very talented team with tremendous playoff experience. I think the main stretch was the end of the second quarter,'" said Nuggets coach Michael Malone. "You don't want to play against this team from behind in this building."
Jokic averaged 28 points, 15.8 rebounds and 8.8 assists in four matchups with the Warriors, three by the Nuggets but only one by double digits. But Green hadn't faced Denver this season, so his addition was huge.
''you feel it. They took it up a notch,'" Poole said of Green. "As our leaders, we nurture their energy."
Green hit a 3 with 1:47 in third off Jokic, then the Nuggets star turned later, as Gary Peyton II capitalized with a basket that extended Golden State to 89-68.
Green wound up with 12 points, nine assists, six rebounds and three blocked shots for a Warriors team that lost in the play-in rounds to Memphis last year and returned to the playoffs for the first time since losing the 2019 NBA Finals in six Is. Game for Toronto.
It was Thompson's last playoff game, when he suffered a torn ACL in his left knee that required surgery and repairs before tearing his right Achilles tendon in November 2020 - until returning in January It cost them over 2 1/2 years. ,
Gordon and Thompson were hit with a double technical on the 6:25 mark of second.
"We can't beat ourselves and the Warriors in the same game," Malone said, "and we did that tonight."
Playoff debut
Poole warmed up in a T-shirt reading 'Pool Party', then dazzled on the big postseason stage, scoring 9 for 13 with five 3s, starting in Curry's place. He joined Wilt Chamberlain and Mitch Richmond as the only player in franchise history to score 30 points at the start of the post season.
With 2:54 before halftime, Poole cut one way through the other for a layup and fouled by Will Barton and converted a three-point play. Poole celebrated as Curry looked at her happily.
"There's no better feeling than having people behind you who have already gone through a fight," Poole said.
He made his first six shots and had 17 points at half time.
Tip-ins
Nuggets: DeMarcus Cousins was kicked out with 10:28 after back-to-back technicals. He had seven points and two rebounds against his former team. ... Denver scored 11 for 35 from deep as Jokic missed his four 3-point attempts.
Warriors: Looney, who played all 82 regular-season games, grabbed seven boards as the Warriors led on a 41-35 rebound. ...The Warriors went down 6-6 without Curry, winning their last five regular-season games.