Curry does a sleeping celebration after he flips in the layup. There is a time and a place.
Stephen Curry dribbled through the entire Denver Nuggets team before putting up the perfect tear-drop layup to put the Warriors up by five. He looked into the crowd and clasped his hands under one side of his head, signaling to the Nuggets that it was time to go to sleep.
The Warriors punched their ticket to the Western Conference semifinals with a 102-98 victory over the Nuggets, thanks to Curry's bucket. The Warriors will face the winner of the Wolves-Grizzlies series, with Game 1 happening as soon as Sunday. Going into Game 6 on Friday, Memphis has a 3-2 lead over Minnesota.
The Warriors looked lifeless for the first 30 minutes of the game against the Nuggets. The uncertain and nervous energy was present.
Draymond Green hit a 3-pointer at the 6:20 mark of the third quarter to bring the Warriors within six of the Nuggets. It gave them a push to breathe life back into themselves and the building. They came alive in the fourth quarter.
The Warriors were able to find an offensive rhythm while also slowing the Nuggets on the other side. After checking into the quarter, Jokic picked up his fifth personal and helped the Warriors.
Curry scored 30 points on 10-of-22 shooting, including five 3-pointers in 38 minutes.
Curry started Game 5 for the first time this playoffs, and the Warriors' starting unit featured their new lethal small-ball lineup of Curry, Klay Thompson, Jordan Poole, Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green. The first stint of the unit lasted just three and a half minutes. The Warriors didn't go back to that combination much because of early fouls.
Green had 11 points, six assists, three blocks and a steal. Gary Payton II came off the bench and scored 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting, including a wide-open 3, to give the Warriors a much-needed 86-84 lead as they entered the final stretch of the game. The Warriors were up by a point with under a minute left in the game.
The Warriors had to tie the first-round series against the Nuggets in their first game at Chase Center.
Thompson said that Game 5 was a must-win game. They couldn't give the Nuggets team, which has made two playoff comebacks before, any more life and go back to Denver.
The Warriors allowed them to stick around more than they wanted, but they achieved their goal.
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