How the Nuggets beat the Warriors, 120-114, on Christmas Day

DENVER — Jonathan Kuminga pulled his black sweater with bleached accents down his torso until it rested atop his black pants. Then, on top of it, he gradually put on the black and cream houndstooth trench coat.

“I’ma keep it real with you,” the Golden State Warriors forward said, adjusting the sleeves on his coat until it draped perfectly. His demeanor and tone matched his attire. Smooth. Certain.

“Me with the ball,” he continued, “nobody’s guarding me.”

Ambitious? Sure. But this Christmas afternoon in Denver, it felt true. The Nuggets couldn’t guard him, especially with the way they were defending Stephen Curry.

Through three quarters, Kuminga had 13 points on 4-for-8 shooting. He was 5-for-8 from the free-throw line and had the Nuggets scrambling.

“But sometimes,” Kuminga said, “I’ve gotta take that away to make sure my OGs get the ball. That’s where it’s confusing. Sometimes, I come out the game not knowing what I did. And that messes with my head. It’s like, ‘What they want me to do?’ I can pass and I can do different s—.”

The Warriors’ win streak would be six games if not for Curry’s Christmas curse. Or if Klay Thompson didn’t go 1-for-6 shooting for three points in the second half. Or if Nikola Jokić didn’t get 14 second-half free throws.

Or if, as crazy as it sounds, they weren’t so deep.

“Strength in Numbers” has been the Warriors’ thing. Their second unit saved the starters again, keeping them in the game when their starting group struggled. But the Warriors went down, 120-114, on Monday in part because they’re too deep.

So deep, Kuminga feels on the verge of a breakout but keeps bumping his head on the glass ceiling. He was on the short end of the Warriors’ depth on Monday, playing just 3:35 in the fourth quarter.

This is an issue for the Warriors because the best version of who they are is directly connected to the best version of Kuminga.

Read the rest of my column from Denver.