SAN FRANCISCO — Coach Steve Kerr suddenly faces a playoff conundrum: start Stephen Curry again for Game 2 of the playoffs for Golden State and move Jordan Poole back to the bench or stick with what worked so well in the opener and be extra cautious with Curry.
’Yeah, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” Kerr said, smiling.
Poole shined in his playoff debut with 30 points, staying in the starting lineup as Curry returned from a foot injury, and the Warriors smothered Nikola Jokic to beat the Denver Nuggets 123-107 on Saturday night in Game 1 of the first-round series.
For now, Curry sure had a blast watching Poole and Splash Brother Klay Thompson do their thing from the opening tip.
“I have no expectations on what’s next because we’re always trying to figure this out because this is kind of a tough situation to deal with in terms of the quick ramp up that I’ve had and this is a playoff-type intensity and atmosphere,” Curry said.
Healthy at last, Thompson returned to the playoff stage for the first time in nearly three years following two serious injuries and scored 19 points with five 3-pointers.
Jordan Poole, who scored 30 points, shoots over Nikola Jokic during the Warriors’ 123-107 win over the Nuggets.USA TODAY Sports
“Jordan Poole, wow, what a playoff debut,” Thompson said. “… He’s just incredible. What a star in the making.”
The perimeter combination of Curry, Poole and Thompson proved too much for the Nuggets — with Poole acknowledging “it’s pretty lethal.”
Jokic had 25 points and 10 rebounds for Denver, facing stifling defense in the paint from Draymond Green and Kevon Looney while shooting 12 for 25.
Jokic credited both of them for making his shots tough.
“They have the tools. I think I missed a couple of easy ones, but I think that they were defending me really well,” Jokic said. “So I need to be better. I just need to at least make the layups…