Steph, Klay going cold comes at worst time for the Warriors

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The play design was set up perfectly. The gravity of Steph Curry forced Jamal Murray to stay on him and Denver Nuggets rookie Peyton Watson to switch onto Curry, leaving Klay Thompson wide open at the top of the arc and the Warriors down by two Sunday night at Ball Arena with only five seconds remaining in the regulation.

And Thompson missed.

Too strong.

Thompson's misfire was so strong that it bounced from the back of the rim right back into his hands for a second chance at winning the game. This time, Murray jumped straight up, extended his left arm and blocked Thompson's game-winning attempt. A furious fight in the final two minutes ended in heartbreak for the Warriors, falling 112-110 to the Nuggets in Denver

A mere 20 seconds earlier, Thompson drained one of the craziest tries of his career, falling out of bounds to his right to bring the Warriors within two points. 

But the two last-second misses resembled his night much more than a circus 3-pointer that gave him and his Golden State teammates hope for another crazy comeback win. He wasn't alone, too. Whether it was the altitude, the road rims or Denver's defense, the Splash Brothers were bricking shots far more than watching the ball trickle through the net.

Curry and Thompson combined to score 46 points on 56 shots. They shot a rough 30.4 percent overall from the field, and a lowly 23.3 percent behind the 3-point line. 

Each took 28 shots. Curry made eight and Thompson made nine. Steph put up 14 threes, and only made two. Klay let it fly 16 times from deep and hit five. 

Undoubtedly, this was a rough one for two all-time great sharpshooters. Thompson has had worse games shooting the ball this season, though. He has 12 games where he had a worse shooting percentage from the field this season. He also has two games where he failed to make a 3-pointer this season, and 19 games where his 3-point percentage has been worse than his 31.3-percent clip from long distance against the Nuggets. 

For Curry, his off-night was more than uncharacteristic. He made a at least one 3-pointer in his 242nd consecutive regular-season game, extending his NBA record. That didn't come until the 8:40 mark in the third quarter on his sixth attempt of the night. Curry was held scoreless in the first quarter and missed all five of his shots from deep in the first half. 

There has been just one other game this season where Curry shot worse from the field. On Dec. 5, he had a 17.6 field-goal percentage in an eight-point loss to the Indiana Pacers, shooting 3-of-17. On Sunday night in Denver, Curry had a 28.6 field-goal percentage, but on 11 more shots than that loss to the Pacers, tying a season-high for shot attempts in a game.

His 2-of-14 (14.3 percent) showing on 3-pointers was by far his worst this season. Curry's previous low was going 2 of 10 (20 percent) on threes in that same loss to the Pacers. In fact, he hasn't had as bad of a game shooting the long ball since he went 1 of 7 (14.3 percent) in a one-point loss to the Nuggets last season on Feb. 16, 2022. 

"Just a bad night," Steve Kerr said of Curry's performance. "He's entitled to those. He's had such an incredible year. He's played so well and he's done so much for us, and just a tough night. That's all." 

It's easy to lay the blame on Curry and Thompson. They were the Warriors' two leading scorers, with Thompson scoring 25 points and Curry 21. They also took a large majority of Golden State's shots, on a night where they simply weren't falling. 

Donte DiVincenzo and Jordan Poole were the only other Warriors who took 10 or more shots. Each were much more efficient. DiVincenzo was 8 of 12 for 18 points. Poole was 7 of 13 for 17 points. 

Curry and Thompson took 30 of the Warriors' 42 3-point attempts, making seven. DiVincenzo launched the third-most threes on the team with four. Whether it was Curry, Thompson or anybody else, Kerr wasn't satisfied with the Warriors' shot selection after such a promising start. 

"Not great," Kerr said. "Not great. We were taking quick ones. We weren't trusting each other, moving it on. Denver played well defensively and they forced us into some tough possessions. But just felt like we were not sharp and not trusting the ball movement and we could not get the ball to the second side and create a better look."

Following the Warriors' win over the San Antonio Spurs on Friday, from Kerr to Curry, Thompson and Draymond Green -- it was recognized what a big game this was. When the Nuggets held out back-to-back NBA MVP Nikola Jokic to calf tightness, it became even more apparent the Warriors needed to take advantage of a major opportunity. The message seemed to resonate early on. 

The Warriors led by 10, 36-26, after the first 12 minutes. Their offense was popping, even with Curry's slow start. They had 11 assists on 13 made shots, and only one turnover. The Warriors shot 48.1 percent overall in the first quarter and 44.4 percent on threes. 

Once the clock struck zero, the Warriors finished the night with a 40.0 field-goal percentage and 21.4 percent shooting 3-pointers. Over the final three quarters, they went 29 of 78 (37.1 percent) from the field and 5 of 33 (15.2 percent) shooting 3-pointers. 

The loss dropped them from the No. 5 seed to the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference, all while the Los Angeles Lakers now are a half-game behind them to avoid the play-in tournament. The message is simple. 

"Just a reminder that we need to win out," Curry said. "Control your destiny in a sense of protecting our own court on Tuesday and then going to Sacramento, going to Portland and getting wins. But just understanding that there's a sense of urgency on these last three games. 

"Not only just the wins, but the vibe that you create going into a playoff series, because that does matter." 

RELATED: Why JP credits Steph, Klay for trio's historic 3-point milestone

Coming off his unusually bad shooting night in that loss to the Pacers nearly four months ago, Curry scored 32 points on 12-of-21 shooting and went 6 of 11 on 3-pointers the next time he stepped on the floor in a 16-point win against the Boston Celtics.

With three games to go, one at home and two on the road, Curry will look to wipe this loss away, knowing how unbelievably important each shot he, his Splash Brother or any other player takes, with so much still on the line for the Warriors.

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