(Written for Blue Man Hoop)

Despite an impressive defensive effort, the Warriors were unable to overcome a playoff-career high 28 points from Andre Miller.  Known for his relative lack of athleticism, the crafty veteran was able to take advantage of Harrison Barnes inexperience in the post and Jarrett Jack’s lesser size, as well as the Warriors’ zone, which, contrary to the expected purpose of a zone, often left the middle unprotected.  In what could be a series altering incident, David Lee injured his right leg on a drive in fourth quarter.  The Warriors are reporting the injury as a “hip flexor strain,” and an MRI is scheduled for Sunday, according to CBS Sports.

Key Stretch

This game will be remembered for Andre Miller’s game winning layup, but the Warriors may have lost themselves the game at the end of the third quarter. With 2:25 left in the third quarter, following a Corey Brewer jump shot, a David Lee screen freed Jarrett Jack from Corey Brewer.  Jack beat the hedge, got into the lane, and elected to take his patented push floater over Javale McGee, rather than pass to the open Landry, whom McGee was helping off.  Jack, who finished the game 3 of 12, missed the floater, and on the following possession, missed a semi-contested deep three pointer after a poorly executed Warrior possession. Andre Miller then missed a baseline fade-away jumper off a post up of Klay Thompson.  The Warriors scored to pull within two at 64-66.  Down two and only 50 seconds from the fourth quarter, the Warriors appeared to be in good position.  A phrase common among NBA pundits is that, “Good teams finish quarters well,” and in this instance, the Nuggets did just that.  Andre Miler set up Corey Brewer for an open jumper, which Brewer made, and left the Nuggets time for a second possession before the end of the quarter.  Landry missed a pick and pop jumper, and Miller again found Brewer for a jumper, this time from an extra point warranting inch further back, and the Nuggets expanded their two point lead to seven heading into the fourth quarter.

Why The Warriors Lost

Andre Miller:  Miller, who averages 9.6 points per game for the season, was unexpectedly unstoppable to close the game.  The Warriors used an array of defenders, ranging from the athletic Harrison Barnes, the quicker Jarrett Jack, and, on the final possession, Draymond Green, but Miller scored regardless. Be it on a jerky up and under or an off-balance jumper, Miller was consistently able to prevent the Warriors from taking a commanding lead, following a Stephen Curry game-tying three, ended the game.

David Lee Injury:  Lee, a staple of the Warriors’ end of game unit, was forced to the locker room with the previously mentioned injury.  Though Lee struggled throughout the game, he was missed as the high-post hub of the Warriors’ offense, which struggled over the course of the quarter.

Stephen Curry’s Shooting:  Credit the Nuggets for giving consistently giving Curry as little space as possible.  Though he did find a few open looks throughout the game, Curry was generally picked up by a defender, typically Ty Lawson, Andre Iguodala, or Corey Brewer, and harassed from the moment he came within five feet of the three point arc through the entire possession.  The Nuggets were clearly committed to hedging hard on every Curry pick and roll, and had the personal to do so effectively.  Curry started the game missing all of his first five shots, and never appeared to be in full offensive rhythm.  In a perhaps more impressive feat, the Nuggets defense did not allow Curry to attempt a field goal until the 5:58 mark of the first quarter.  Curry’s struggles prevented the Warriors from taking advantage of an impressive defensive performance that they may be lucky to repeat.