Golden State Warriors defeat Denver Nuggets 89-81

The Golden State Warriors, whose dominance over the Denver Nuggets dates back to last year’s playoffs, continued that trend with a tough road victory at altitude on Monday night. The final score of the game was 89-81.

That is a surprisingly low-scoring affair for those teams, though the Nuggets have not been filling up the scoreboard this year as they did in recent seasons under now-former head coach George Karl. Speaking of Karl, having the Warriors in town had to trigger a number of bad memories for the Nuggets. Last spring they entered Golden State flying high as the number three seed in the Western Conference playoffs. The series loss that followed set a surprising set of events into motion, with Karl’s dismissal, a new general manager, appropriately dampened expectations, and an overhauled roster for new head coach Brian Shaw.

Tonight’s loss for the Nuggets was complete with reminders of how different things are. Former teammate Andre Iguodala, who is rumored to have two-timed the Nuggets during that playoff series, is now an enthusiastic member of the Warriors. He was solid on this night, shooting 50% and dropping 12 points. David Lee, who was injured and a non-factor in the aforementioned series, did the most damage for Golden State with 28 points and 10 rebounds. Ty Lawson led the Nuggets in the losing cause with 16 points.

The win puts Golden State at a 16-13 record so far this season. Not far behind, the Nuggets are now 14-13 on the year.