DENVER — The towering big man labored as if he was hiking along the Rocky Mountains. But Warriors center Zaza Pachulia simply was completing a fast break.
The Warriors have valued his defensive presence, so perhaps it was not surprising he forced a turnover. The Warriors do not rely on him for his speed, though, so that made it striking that he suddenly assumed a role that Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant and Draymond Green can do much much better.
But there was Pachulia, trudging down the court against Nuggets center Nikola Jokic for what Warriors coach Steve Kerr jokingly called “a transition basket that took about 14 seconds to get going.