SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- The Golden State Warriors punched their ticket to the second round of the NBA Playoffs Wednesday night with a 102-98 victory over the Denver Nuggets. Stephen Curry and Gary Payton II made clutch shots down the stretch to seal the win for Golden State.
The game was close throughout, as neither team built a lead larger than than 10 points. Denver led 78-70 after the third quarter, but Golden State opened the fourth strong and took the lead on a Payton 3-pointer.
Payton made another go-ahead basket with 2:10 remaining in the game, putting the Warriors ahead 92-90. He and Curry combined to score Golden State's final 14 points of the game.
Steve Kerr moved Curry back into the starting lineup for Game 5, demoting Kevon Looney to the bench. Curry had come off the bench in the series' first four games after returning from a foot injury. He responded to the starting bump with a game-high 30 points. Payton added 15 off the bench.
Denver's MVP candidate Nikola Jokic gave the Warriors problems all night, finishing with 30 points, 19 rebounds and eight assists. However, he was limited to 32 minutes with foul trouble.
While Jokic was out, his backup, former Warrior Demarcus Cousins, added 19 points off the bench. The centers spearheaded an impressive Denver rebounding effort. The Nuggets out-rebounded the Warriors 50-37.
In the Western Conference semifinals, the Warriors will play the winner of the Minnesota Timberwolves' series against the Memphis Grizzlies. Memphis leads 3-2, and Game 6 will be played Thursday night in Minnesota.
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