Nuggets 98 vs 102 Warriors summary: stats and highlights | NBA Playoffs

The Golden State Warriors are on to the second round of the NBA Playoffs after defeating the Denver Nuggets in Game 5 from the Chase Center. Steph Curry led a second half charge for Warriors and finished with 30 points in the 102-98 win.

Kerr starts Curry for first time

Steve Kerr reintroduced Curry to the starting five on Wednesday night after starting the opening four games on the bench since returning from an ankle injury at the end of the regular season.

Denver may have come into Game 5 down 3-1, but they felt the series could have very easily been 2-2 after playing the Warriors tight in the Mile High City. They gave the Warriors their best shot with their backs against the wall, but Nikola Jokic’s 30 points, 18 rebounds and 8 assists weren’t enough to survive for another game.

Warriors nervy first half

The Warriors started the game out of rhythm, and Curry said after the game the first three quarters were evidence that the new look Warriors were nervous in a close out situation.

Aaron Gordon set the tone for the Nuggets in the early part of the game, scoring 12 first quarter points as Denver started Game 5 like they ended Game 4.

The Nuggets defense did a good job keeping the Curry and Klay Thompson quiet. On two different occasion the Denver defense shut the Warriors down. Even though Golden State went through a four minute scoreless spell in the first quarter and a four point stretch in the final five minutes of the second quarter they still went to the half level at 48-48.

Steph steps up in second half

Jokic came out hot of the halftime break hot, and Will Barton stretched the lead out to 10 early in the third. The double digit advantage wouldn't last long as Steph Curry exploded on to the scene with 9 straight points in an 11-2 run that brought the Warriors to within one.

During the stretch Nikola Jokic picked up his fourth foul with under five minutes to play in the third. The reigning MVP’s back up and four the All-Star DeMarcus Cousins came to the momentary rescue for the Nuggets scoring the final seven points of the quarter to go into the fourth up 78-70.

The Warriors continued to chip away, and it was the Nuggets turn to go on a cold streak. They went nearly seven minutes without a field goal. Curry would lead the charge, but it was Gary Payton II who hit a corner three to give Golden State the lead with just over six minutes to go in the game.

Warriors will wait for Grizz or T'Wolves

Despite the best efforts from Jokic, who scored 10 straight points late in the fourth, Golden State was able to hang on to victory.

The Warriors will await the winner of the Memphis Grizzlies - Minnesota Timberwolves series. The Grizzlies lead 3-2 as the series heads back to Minnesota. Game 6 tips off on Friday, April 29th at 9:00 p.m. ET.

Steph putting his stamp on the game and putting the Nuggets to sleep.

How Curry found the space to finish this lay up with Gordon and Jokic all over him is a mystery.

Payton gave the Warriors their first lead of the second half with the corner three.

Porter's name was rarley called tonight, but he came up with a huge three off the offensive rebound.

Curry had three consecutive triples in the third quarter run to bring the Warriors to within a point.

As he always does, Green did a little bit of everything including dropping this three to stop the Nuggets run.

The Warriors went on a couple of scoreless runs in the first half, but bounced back in the final two quarters.

This game was played with a much more defensive pace than the other games in the series.

Curry dropped this three to start his night, but had a slow start to the game by his standards.

Morris with the final bucket of the game as the Warriors are moving on to the second round of the playoffs!! Curry finished with 30 points to led his team to the narrow win.

Curry hits one of two at the line.

Jokic with a lay up, but the Warriors will be happy to give that up.

Curry to the line and he makes it a six point game after two made FTs.

Curry weaving his way through traffic and he drops the finger roll as he puts his hands to his head signaling it's time to put the Nuggets to bed. 30 seconds to go from San Fran.

Back to Jokic who has  the last 10 points for Jokic.

Payton picks the pass up off his shoe strings and jacks the three with the clock winding down.

Jokic off the screen and roll gets the tough shot in traffic to go.

Curry into the big bodies! Had Gordon on his back and Jokic in his face, but he still gets the layup to go of the glass. He's got 25 on the night! Timeout DEN with 1:33 to go in the fourth.

Payton going to the iron strong and finishing.

Jokic ties it up from the elbow! The MVP making MVP type plays.

Jokic to the basket off the dribble! HE's got four straight points. First field goal from the nine minute mark, almost 6 minutes with out a FG.

Curry from a step inside the line!.

Jokic at the line after the foul on Green. Both FTs are good.

Thompson on the scoop with Jokic on his back. Thompson has 15 on the night.

Over four minutes of scoreless basketball for the Nuggets. Timeout with 4:46 to go in the fourth quarter.

Six minutes to go in the fourth quarter.

Payton in the corner for three!!! The Warroirs are back in front!

Thompson on the fader getting the friendly roll. He's got 13 on the night.

Morris to the line as Poole picks up his fifth. One of two FTs drops.

Curry going into the body of Jokic, and that's his fifth foul. There are still 8 minutes left in this game. Jokic heading to the bench as Curry hits both.

Cousins on the floater, and he's got a playoff career high with 19 points.

Payton on the drive to the basket after some more good ball movement.

Cousins again!!! He's got 17

Payton to Green on a sweet drive and dish. Green has 11 and 6 assists.

Barton at the line and he hits one of two. Jokic is still on the bench.

Porter on the three ball after the Warriors offensive rebound. They haven't got too many of those tonight.

Thompson out of the quarter change gets the mid range jumper to go.

Cousins with the buzzer beater to end the third quarter!!! He scored the last 7 points of the quarter for the Nuggets.

Cousins on the put back and the Warriors are getting distroyed on the offensive glass. He's got 15 points and the Nugs have 14 offensive rebounds.

Cousins back on the court with Jokic on the bench. He goes right at the rack.

Curry time in Golden State. He's got the last 9 points for the Warriors.

Barton on the three after Gordon extend the play with an offensive rebound.

Jokic is on the bench. He has four fouls, but before that he was seen clutching his hamstring. We'll keep you posted.

Curry off the screen and he jacks it up for three!! He's Got the last 6 points for the Warriors and we have a one point game. Timeout Nuggets with 4:05 to go in the third.

Curry ignites the crowd with the three ball. He's on 13 for the night.

Barton on the slash to the rack after a steal on the other end. Barton has 10.

Jokic just picked up his fourth with 5:43 to go. Wiggins hits one of two.

Green from the top of the key! He was left wide open. Lets see if that gets the Warriors going.

Wiggins to the line and he hits one of two.

Barton on the baseline drive with the easy layup.

Curry to Green down low, and it's going to need to be the Warriors big three to get them into this game.

Jokic to the line after the Loomey foul. Both FTs are good.

Jokic with the right hand off the wrong foot and it's an 8 point game.

DEN has hit 5 of their last 7 shots.

Offensive rebound for the Nuggets as Jokic slapped it out to Morris for the wide open three. Nuggets lead by six, it's their largest lead of the night. Timeout Golden State with 8:47 to go in the third.

Green to Wiggins on the cut to the basket.

Jokic on the runner off the glass. He's got 14, 13 and 6.

Green to the line, and he hits two of two.

Morris gets the lay up and one! FT is good and this has been a great start for the Nuggets in this second half.

Barton on the reverse off the feed from Gordon. Gordon has been great all night, and now that he's drawing attention he'll be able to find his teammates for easy baskets like he did on that possession.

Wiggins with the step back. He's been quiet tonight.

Jokic to Green up top out of the half time break!!

Poole is writing the first chapter of his legacy in this postseason.

The pick and roll was working for the Warriors in that first half. This time it was Looney the beneficiary

The Warriors went on a couple different scoring droughts in the first half. This one was broken by Poole's three.

The step back from Steph and he's got 10 on the night to lead the Warriors.

Big guys aren't supposed to move like this. No wonder he looks unstoppable at times.

Aaron Gordon leads all scorers with 15 points, and Jokic has 15, 13 rebounds and 5 assists through two quarters.

Curry is the only Warrior in double digits with 10. Thompson has 9 and Poole has 8.

We are headed to halftime with the score tied at 48-48. Just four points for the Warriors in the final 5:14 of the first half.

There's Thompson with the long ball from the corner to tie up the game.

Jokic on the jumper from the FT line.

The Nuggets take the lead with a Braton three ball!!! It's been the defense that has made the difference for Denver in the second quarter. Golden State has just 15 points since the end of the 1st quarter. Timeout Warrioirs with under 2 to go in the half.

Jokic to the line, and he hits one of two as the Nuggets continue to struggle from the stripe.

Kuminga back at it down low. The rookie's got a couple quick buckets to start his night.

Jokic on the offensive rebound and the put back.

Jokic at the line, and he hits one of two. Denver is just 12-18 from the line tonight.

Kuminga off the bench gets his name on the scoresheet early on with the alley oop.

Gordon gets the FT to go out fo the timeout.

Gordon back on the block, showing the strength and the finess. He gets the foul and the bucket. Timeout Warriors with under 5:30 to go in the second quarter.

Curry on the ball screen. He's been quite since the first quarter. He's in double digits now with 10.

Hyland at the line now where the Nuggets are finding themselves quite a bit latley. Both FTs are good

Payton in the corner for three and the breaks the scoreless spell for the Warriors.

Cousins over a triple team! He's got 8 points on the night off the bench.

Barton to the line, but he makes just one of two. Denver is just 8-13 from the line.

Cousins goes to the line after Looney picks up his third out of the timeout. One of tw FTs are good, and Cousins has 6 points with Jokic on the bench.

Looney with another good look off the pick and roll that leads to an easy slam. Timeout Nugs with 8:52 to go.

Poole going to the rack strong and he's got 8 points.

Cousins for three!!! He's got 5 quick points off the bench.

Green on the dunk attempt no... Payton II yes on the follow up.

Cousins down on the block getting the first basket of the second quarter.

The first quarter comes to an end. Aaron Gordon keeping the Nuggets in this game through 12 minutes with 12 points, while Jokic already has 10 rebounds.
Curry has eight for the Warriors while Wiggins, Thompson and Poole have six a piece.

Poole with a couple crossovers, and gets to the rim gets the lay up off the glass and the foul. FT is good and he has 6 points tonight.

Hyland at the line and he gets both to go. Rivers just went to the locker room, didn't see what happen but we will keep you posted.

Curry on the slash down the baseline. He's got 8 points on the night. Timeout Nuggets with under 2 to go in the first quarter.

MOrris answers with a three ball on the other end.

Poole on the pull up three ball, and that gets this crown back in the game after a nearly 4 minute scoreless streak.

Rebound by Jokic and Gordon streaks to the bucket knowing he'd get the dime over the top from the big man. He gets the bucket and one. FT is good and he's got 12 points, and has the last 7 for Denver.

Gordon and Green involved in a bit of a dust up. They have had some beef all series long. Gordon gets a personal and a tech, but Curry misses the FT!!

Gordon hitting the offensive glass hard, and gets the put back. He needs to be important tonight, and he needs to do so down in the paint.

Looney from close range, and then Wiggins in transition. That will lead to a timeout for the Nuggets with 6:32 to go in the first quarter.

Gordon with a tough finish after a great cross paint pass from Jokic.

Thompson back at the line. No surprise he knocks down both FTs.

Jokic back at the rack. He's got 6 early points.

Curry with another triple! He's got two on the night.

Thompson to the line, hits two after Morris gets the bucket to go on the other end.

Jokic in the pain with the floater. He has a way of making everything look so easy.

Green on the slash to the dish gets the dunk off the feed from Thompson.

Gordon back to the line, and he hits one of two. He had 13 FTs in the Game 4 win.

From one MVP to another, Steph Curry drops his first three of the game.

Jokic with the footwork down low! He's going to need to be fantastic tonight.

Wiggins from downtown!!

Gordon showing the strength and athletisism with the tip back.

Thompson from the baseline and the the Warriors are on the board.

Gordon going into the body of Green and he goes to the line for the game's first point after spliting the pair.

We are underway from Chase Center!!! The Nuggets are looking to stay alive while the Warriors have a chance to book their ticket to the second round.

Tonight's Odds

According to Bet365.com the Warriors are 8.5 point favorites with the Over/Under set at 225.5. I do think the Warriors will win this game, but 8.5 is a lot of points to give a team fighting for their lives. Nikola Jokic will keep this game close until the end so I’m going with Denver plus the points.

Bucks wrap it up in Milwaukee

The defending champions are two minutes away from closing out their first round series against the Chicago Bulls. They will play the second seeded Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

Green, Curry and Thompson

The Warriors trio had barley played together before the start of this series. Since Klay Thompson went down with a torn ACL in Game 6 of the NBA Finals, the three played just five quarters together before the start of the post season. Golden State has won each and every one of the series in which they have played every game. They are a game away from extending that streak.

Defending MVP in MVP form

Nikola Jokic has been sensational all season, and this series has been no different. He comes into tonight on the heels of back-to-back 37 point performances and is averaging 31.3 points, 11.8 rebounds and 5.3 assists. The Serbian is remaining optimistic ''The odds are against us,'' said MVP favorite Nikola Jokic. ''But we've beaten the odds a couple of times, so why not?''

Nuggets coach comfortable

The Nuggets know they have an uphill battle, but they are have become accustomed to facing adversity this season. “Obviously of all teams in the playoffs, we are probably most comfortable being down 3-1," Denver coach Michael Malone said. "Can I say ... we have them right where we want them? No. But we are alive. We live to fight another day."

Thompson with one eye the next series

Talking to reporters after the Game 4 loss Klay Thompson stressed the importance of tonight’s game, while keeping an eye on the second round. ”We got to go into it like it's a must-win," Thompson told reporters. "We'd like to get some rest before next series and we don't want to travel back to Denver (for a possible Game 6). We got to come with the mindset that we have something to prove, that it's a must-win."

Thompson with one eye the next series

Talking to reporters after the Game 4 loss Klay Thompson stressed the importance of tonight’s game, while keeping an eye on the second round. ”We got to go into it like it's a must-win," Thompson told reporters. "We'd like to get some rest before next series and we don't want to travel back to Denver (for a possible Game 6). We got to come with the mindset that we have something to prove, that it's a must-win."

Team has ever won series down 3-0

Denver knows they are up against a nearly insurmountable task. They may have grazed by Golden State in Game 4, but they still need to win three more games to move on to the second round of the playoffs. History in not on the Nuggets side. None of the 143 teams that have went down 3-0 came back to win the series. Only three have ever comeback to tie the series, only to lose in Game 7. The Knicks did it in the 1951 Finals, the Nuggets did it in 1994 and the Portland Timberwolves came back on the Dallas Mavs in 2003. All would eventually go on to lose the final game of the series.

Denver bringing the drip on the road hoping that this won't be the last time they walk into this stadium this season.

Steph Curry coming into Chase Center flashing the drip. As a member or the Splash Brothers, showing off the drip only comes natural.

Let the countdown begin! The Nuggets have to come out swinging. They have played great basketball over the last two games, but were only able to squeak one win out of the two games in Colorado.

Die another day for Denver

The Nuggets had their backs against the ropes in Game 4 in the Mile High City but extended their season for at least another day.  Nikola Jokic put up 37 points for the second straight game, and had the game changing assist with less than 10 seconds in the quarter with the score tied at 121. Will Barton drilled the three and the Nuggets held on for their first win of the opening round.

We are live from Chase Center

Hello everyone and welcome to San Francisco where the Nuggets are holding on for dear life in the first round of the playoffs. Golden State have shown how strong they can be when they have Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green are healthy and on the floor at the same time. Defending MVP Nikola Jokic has done his best to keep Denver in the series, and will have to be at an MVP level again tonight to keep the season alive.

Nuggets vs. Warriors

The Golden State Warriors have their second crack at a close out against the Denver Nuggets, but this time will try to do it on their home court in front of their home fans. AS English will be with you every step of the way with live coverage, stats, scores and highlights of Game 5 from the Chase Center.