Denver Nuggets down Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks spring Christmas surprise on Milwaukee Bucks

LOS ANGELES – Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr slammed the National Basketball Association (NBA) for “legislating defence out of the game” and called the second half of his team’s 120-114 defeat by the Denver Nuggets “disgusting” on Dec 25.

Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic put on a show for Denver after the New York Knicks launched the NBA’s Christmas slate with an upset over the Milwaukee Bucks.

Murray scored 28 points and two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Jokic overcame a poor shooting day by going 18 for 18 at the free-throw line as the champions took their winning streak to five games.

Despite connecting on just four of 12 shots from the field, Jokic finished with 26 points, adding 14 rebounds and eight assists to help the Nuggets come out on top in a see-saw battle between the winners of the last two NBA titles.

The Serb told ESPN about his 18 free throws: “I was missing shots, so I was just trying to be aggressive in another way, maybe play a little more physical. It just happened to be that kind of night. This is the most I’ve ever had.”

Jokic’s left-handed basket with 5min 16sec to play put the Nuggets up for good and he added an exclamation point with a dunk that pushed the lead to 118-112 with 34.2sec left.

The Warriors came into the contest riding on a five-game winning streak. But their star Stephen Curry endured a frustrating outing, scoring just four points in the first half en route to a total of 18 on seven-of-21 shooting. He was three for 13 from three-point range.

Canadian Andrew Wiggins helped keep the Warriors in it, scoring a team-high 22 points off the bench. But Murray and Jokic, who led the Nuggets to the franchise’s first title last season, proved too much down the stretch.

In the process, Jokic took 14 second-half free-throws, which left Warriors coach Steve Kerr fuming as he blasted the NBA for “legislating defence out of the game”.

“If I were a fan, I wouldn’t have wanted to watch the second half of that game, it was disgusting,” the 58-year-old said.

“It was just baiting refs into calls, but the refs have to make those calls because that’s how they’re taught,” added Kerr, who decried what he called “a parade to the free-throw line”.

Curry chimed in: “It does cater to the guys who can sell calls. There is physicality. But it’s tough because it is inconsistent, at times, on either side.

“On a night like tonight, when you feel there is physicality on one side and then ticky-tack on the other, it changes the complexity of the game. I’m not saying we don’t foul, but consistency is key when understanding how you can defend.”

In New York, Jalen Brunson scored 38 points for the Knicks as they finally got the better of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Milwaukee, halting the Bucks’ seven-game winning streak with a 129-122 victory at Madison Square Garden.

The Knicks had lost their previous nine games against Milwaukee, including a 130-111 defeat on Dec 23.

“I’m just happy the way we played today, we kept fighting,” said Brunson, after the Bucks cut a 14-point deficit to four midway through the third quarter before the Knicks pulled away again.

“They made a run but we stayed poised,” Brunson said. “You’ve got to give them a lot of credit, they’re a hell of a team, so I’m just happy we got away with a win.”

Julius Randle scored 24 points and grabbed nine rebounds, R.J. Barrett bounced back from a disappointing showing on Dec 23 to score 21 points, and Immanuel Quickley added 20 off the bench for the Knicks.

Damian Lillard and Antetokounmpo each scored 32 points apiece for Milwaukee. Antetokounmpo added 13 rebounds but the Bucks never led after the first quarter.

“I thought they out-competed us today for the most part,” Bucks coach Adrian Griffin said. “Offensively, we got some good looks, but we just couldn’t knock them down. And when you’re on the road and you get clean looks, you’ve got to knock them down.

“I think we missed quite a few at the rim,” he added. “I think it took some of the air out of us.”

Over in Phoenix, Luka Doncic recorded 50 points, 15 assists, six rebounds, four steals and three blocked shots and also went over 10,000 career points while leading the Dallas Mavericks to a 128-114 victory over the Suns. 

Doncic reached 50 for the sixth time in the regular season and made eight three-pointers as Dallas won their second straight after losing four of their previous five contests. 

He told ESPN: “When this kind (of) award comes with a win, it’s even more fun. It was a tough road game, and we won. So, outside of the 10K and 50 points, we won the game. So, I’m really happy.”

Suns star Kevin Durant, who is viewed as one of the NBA’s greatest scorers, added: “He does this every game. He controls the whole game – passes, rebounds, scores. We kind of expect this from him at this point, right?”

Doncic reached 10,000 points in 358 games, matching Hall of Famer Bob McAdoo for seventh-fastest in NBA history. Wilt Chamberlain holds the record of 236 games.

AFP, REUTERS