What happened in final seconds of Warriors' loss to Nuggets?

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SAN FRANCISCO -- Everything can change in 5.9 seconds. For Steph Curry, that means going from hero to taking the blame for a tough loss that saw the Warriors collapse in the fourth quarter and fall to the Denver Nuggets, 117-116, Wednesday night on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from Monte Morris. 

Curry had just nailed a three-point play that ended an 8-0 Nuggets run and gave the Warriors a 115-114 lead and only seconds left before he and his teammates could get a much-needed rest during the All-Star break. Just like that, he then had the ultimate no-no on defense. 

Coming out of a timeout, Morris inbounded the ball to Nikola Jokic, who had done everything he wanted all night long, finishing with 35 points, 17 rebounds and eight assists. Jokic drove Kevon Looney to the hole, looking like he was about to try and tie it all up. Curry lost Morris, played a rover-like defense and tried to double Jokic before the reigning MVP found an open Morris behind the 3-point line from the right wing. 

Swish. Game over. Morris' make was right in Steph's face and gave the Warriors four losses in their final five games going into the break. 

"They ran a post-entry to get Jokic the world to figure out what he wanted to do," Curry explained after the loss. "I took the bait, made a dumb read. I was a step late thinking the clock had run down enough, thinking his only opportunity was to shoot and he made a great pass. Then I realized where I was and tried to make a play on the ball and contest the shot and Monte made a clutch bucket, and I gave it to him. 

"The last thing you can do in that situation is give up a three, and I did that." 

Jokic said after the game that his plan was to go to the middle of the paint and shoot a hook shot until he saw Curry collapse, leaving an open Morris for the game-winner. Curry was convinced Jokic was shooting and even was deceived by Denver's star. 

"He actually showed his eyes to the rim and I thought I could help make it a difficult shot," Curry said. 

That's the frustration of Jokic, a 6-foot-11 bruiser at nearly 300 pounds who can take you down low, shoot from long distance and pass like a giant Pistol Pete. In the fourth quarter alone, Jokic scored nine points and led all players with five assists in the final frame. 

Steve Kerr said there are several things he'll be kicking himself for regarding what led to the loss, though he wouldn't share specifics. One of those decisions could be taking out Gary Payton II. 

With Jokic being such a physical force and Looney being the Warriors' biggest player and best rebounder on the night, Kerr kept the starting center in to guard Jokic. The Nuggets had already taken advantage of Looney staying on the floor, hacked him and he missed two free throws with only 1:18 remaining and the Warriors leading by five points. He also nailed two free throws a little over a minute before when Denver targeted the big man. 

"That's one where it can go either way," Kerr said of keeping Looney on the court. "If you take him out at that point and Jokic goes down and scores, you kick yourself for that decision too. There were a few tonight where you could kind of see both sides and make one decision or the other. 

"That sometimes happens in this business where it doesn't work out for you."

So, where was Payton? He actually entered the game for Jordan Poole as Curry hit a free throw to complete his three-point play. But coming out of a Nuggets timeout, Payton was back to the bench and replaced by Looney. Before then, Payton hadn't been in until there was 5:50 left in the fourth.

Kerr said that Payton was "fantastic" and played a "brilliant game." The 6-foot-3 guard was inserted into the starting lineup for the first time in over a month and was slotted in at power forward for his defense and versatility. There's a real argument he was the Warriors' best player on this particular night. 

Payton played 25 minutes and finished with 12 points, four rebounds, six steals and even blocked Jokic -- who is listed as eight inches taller than him. He was a plus-13, the only Warrior who finished with a positive plus-minus. Klay Thompson had Golden State's second-best plus-minus, and he was a neutral zero. 

Still, Payton played only three minutes and 51 seconds in the fourth quarter -- his lowest of any quarter for the night.

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Curry was baited. He cannot allow a 3-pointer right there. He also was seconds away from adding another heroic night to his name, and the blame surely won't rest solely on the shoulders of the Warriors' two-time MVP. 

For Curry, next up is a trip to Cleveland for his eighth All-Star Game. The calendar also calls for a break, something that Steph and the rest of the Warriors all could use after a crushing loss before they reset, regroup and get back on track for the final 23 games of the regular season.

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