It wasn’t an easy game for them, but the Golden State Warriors did what they needed to do on Wednesday against the Denver Nuggets.
The Warriors definitively held serve at home in the first two games, winning them by 16 and 20 points, respectively. While the Nuggets won Game 4 to avoid a sweep, there was very little reason to think that they’d have much of a chance in Game 5 with the series returning to California. Denver bucked that narrative, though, taking a 78-70 lead into the fourth quarter. But Golden State dominated the fourth quarter 32-20 to win Game 5 102-98, closing out the series in the process.
There were two different feelings in the NBA world regarding this result.
For the Warriors and their fans, winning the series brought on feelings of relief more than jubulation.
Some of the previously eliminated teams have been panned for their performances — but that wasn’t the case for Denver. While the Nuggets lost the series in five games, they earned a lot of respect from the performance, particularly given how short-handed they were.
In particular, Denver’s star, Nikola Jokić was on the receiving end of a lot of praise for his performance in the losing effort.
The Warriors will face the winner of the Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Memphis Grizzlies series. That series will either begin on Sunday, May 1 or Tuesday, May 3, depending on how long it and other remaining series go.
If the Grizzlies win, they will have home-court advantage over the Warriors. If the Timberwolves win, home-court advantage will belong to Golden State.