OAKLAND, Calif. — Standing outside the visitors’ locker room Saturday afternoon, Nuggets coach Michael Malone proclaimed that no one was giving his team a chance to beat the defending champion Golden State Warriors on their home floor on the second night of a back-to-back set.
But the Nuggets will head into Christmas by finishing off a road sweep in two of the NBA’s rowdiest venues in less than 24 hours.
Denver clamped down on the normally lethal Warriors from downtown and answered any mini-charge by the defending champions to clinch a 96-81 victory at Oracle Arena.
The Nuggets’ win snapped an 11-game winning streak for Golden State, which played Saturday without sharpshooting superstar Stephen Curry, starting big man Zaza Pachulia and reserve guard Shaun Livingston because of injuries.