Steinmetz's Instant Replay: Warriors collapse in Denver

BOX SCORE

Nuggets 102, Warriors 91Player of the game: Denvers Andre Iguodala finished with 29 points and five rebounds but more importantly helped shut down Klay Thompson in the second half.Thompson had 16 points in the first half but went without a point in the second halflargely because of Iguodalas defense.Key stretch: The Warriors couldnt get anything to go down early in the second halfand it set the tone for the remainder of the game.The Warriors missed their first nine shots of the third quarter, and the Nuggets scored the first 15 points of the period to turn a 53-47 halftime deficit to a 62-53 lead.Making matters worse during that stretch was that Harrison Barnes picked up his fifth foul and Stephen Curry his fourth.We didnt help the cause by turning over the basketball and allow them to get transition points, Warriors coach Mark Jackson said. So, they got it going but we didnt try to stop it. We actually helped them keep it going.Danilo Gallinari finished with 20 points for the Nuggets (7-6), and Ty Lawson had 18 points and nine assists. David Lee led the Warriors (7-6) with 21 points and 10 rebounds.Currys tough half: After a couple of real nice games, Curry was a little more passive against the Nuggets, failing to get off a shot in the first 13 minutes. Curry, who had 56 points in the previous two games, was scoreless in the first half an picked up three fouls.Curry finished with just six points, four turnovers and three assists.They didnt do much in the first half, Jackson said of Curry and Barnes. And we found ourselves with the lead -- so we dont get caught up in individual nights.Bench strength: The Warriors bench was instrumental in keeping them in the game in the first half, getting contributions from plenty of substitutes.Charles Jenkins, who has been used sparingly this season, had six points in five minutes; Andris Biedrins had six rebounds in nine minutes; Jarrett Jack had eight points in 12 minutes; and Carl Landry had six points and four rebounds in 12 minutes.One of the reasons that Warriors coach Mark Jackson had to go to his bench a good bit in the half was because starting small forward Harrison Barnes picked up four fouls in six minutes.Landry finished with 19 points and Jack 17 for Golden State.