Harrison Barnes Leads Warriors Past Nuggets 131-117 In Game 2 [Video]
The Golden State Warriors topped the Denver Nuggets 131-117 Tuesday night to even the first-round series at a game apiece. Harrison Barnes led the way with 24 points after throwing down one of the best reverse dunks of the year.
The Nuggets stole Game 1 from the Warriors in the final seconds as Andre Miller hit a layup at the buzzer for a 97-95 win. Tuesday night was a different story as the Warriors jumped all over the Nuggets in the first half and pulled away early in the second.
Denver held a two-point lead after the first quarter, but the Warriors went on a 14-5 run in the second and the Nuggets played catch-up the rest of the way. Stephen Curry scored 15 points in the second quarter alone to give the Warriors a 61-53 lead at the half.
Curry went on to finish with 30 points, 13 assists, and five rebounds after the Warriors held on to a double-digit lead throughout the second half. David Lee was hurt in the series opener and will miss the entire playoffs, but the Warriors stepped up without their All-Star on Tuesday.
Jarrett Jack finished with 26 points and seven assists in the win while Klay Thompson pitched in 21 points. The Warriors ‘dominating performance ended the Nuggets 24-game home win streak that began on January 20th in a win against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Warriors also scored more points than any other Nuggets’ opponent this season while shooting 65 percent from the floor, a new franchise playoff record. The Nuggets struggled to bridge the gap in the second half after missing too many open shots and allowing easy buckets at the other end of the court.
Outside of missing open jumpers, the Nuggets failed to improve on the boards as the Warriors out-rebounded George Karl’s team for the second straight game. Kenneth Faried returner to the floor after missing Game 1 for the Nuggets but didn’t make an impact in the paint and finished with four points and two rebounds off the bench.
Warriors’ rookie Harrison Barnes started at power forward and stole the show with a reverse dunk in the fourth quarter while the game was out of reach. Barnes faked right and went left past the Nuggets’ Anthony Randolph before slamming it home.
The seventh overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft made the dunk look easy and his teammates reaction from the bench says it all:
The series now moves to Oakland and the Warriors have to be pleased with taking a game on the road after losing David Lee in Game 1. The Warriors now have home court advantage, but Barnes and his teammates aren’t taking anything for granted.
“Obviously we’re happy, but you can’t get too happy on the farm,” Barnes said after the game, recognizing the job at hand is nowhere near finished. The rising star went on to add that his team must “take care of business at home” if they expect to make it to the second round.
Can Harrison Barnes and the Golden State Warriors run away with the series and upset the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the NBA playoffs?
[Image via Matthew Addie]
