Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Jimmy Butler, Jonathan Kuminga and Al Horford had not previously shared the court together in training camp, preseason or the regular season. Facing a 14-point deficit to the physical Nuggets led by Aaron Gordon, assistants Terry Stotts and Chris DeMarco suggested a lineup change late in the fourth quarter. Butler and Green replaced Will Richard and Brandin Podziemski, and the five-man group closed the final 8 minutes, 50 seconds through overtime. The unit outscored Denver 28-15, fueled by Curry's 17 late points and Butler's decisive shot while the defense tightened and limited Denver's shooting in the closing stretch.
"So, during a timeout, assistants Terry Stotts and Chris DeMarco made a suggestion. Butler subbed in for Will Richard at the 4:21 mark of the fourth quarter, Green took the place of Brandin Podziemski with 3:50 to play, and besides a few seconds on the final possession of regulation, the five-man lineup closed out the final 8 minutes, 50 seconds of what turned into a 137-131 overtime win."
"They just thought the way Steph was going, with Jimmy out there, we were going to score, Kerr said. That was my biggest concern: Can we execute? And they just reminded me: We have Steph and Jimmy. They'll find a way to score. And they did. It was fantastic to watch the defense with that kind of size and length. Curry did what Curry does and matched the Nuggets point-for-point with 17 from the final 5 minutes of regulation onward."
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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