The Nuggets made their own luck toward the end of a 119-115 win over the Warriors on Tuesday, flying after loose balls and making scrappy defensive plays to engineer a game-ending 10-0 run in the last 2 minutes, 30 seconds.
But whether or not they earned it, luck did play a role.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr criticized the referees for not issuing a technical foul against the Nuggets after Christian Braun seemingly attempted to call a timeout when his team had none remaining. With Denver protecting a four-point lead in the last five seconds of regulation, Braun went parallel to the ground, diving to retrieve a long rebound.