The Golden State Warriors came into Denver shorthanded, as Coach Steve Kerr opted to rest Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Andre Iguodala, and Andrew Bogut since it was the first game of a back to back. In addition, Marreese Speights served a one game suspension for pleading no contest to reckless driving.

The Denver Nuggets were without the services of Ty Lawson, who sat out with an illness. However, rookie Jusuf Nurkic made his return after an eight-game absence due to an ankle injury.

The Warriors went with a starting lineup of Shaun Livingston, Justin Holiday, Harrison Barnes, Draymond Green, and David Lee. The question for Golden State was where were they going to find offense and who was going to play make.

That question was evident in the first few minutes of the game, as the Nuggets jumped out to a 13-3 lead. Draymond Green helped his team close the gap, scoring seven first quarter points, but Kenneth Faried would not be denied. ‘The Manimal’ posted 10 points and six rebounds within six minutes of play and finished the first half with a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds.

For being shorthanded, the Warriors were playing well, only down eight at the half. Though, the Nuggets opened a 12-point lead early in the third quarter, but the Warriors constructed a 14-4 run to end the period and took a one point lead heading into the fourth stanza.

James Michael McAdoo’s energy on both ends of the floor was key for Golden State. The 22-year old big man recorded a new career-high 16 points to go with five rebounds on 6 of 10 shooting. Justin Holiday, brother of Jrue, hit crucial shots as well, totaling a team-high 23 points on 5 of 7 shooting from three-point distance.

With 7:20 remaining in the game, Holiday drained a straight away three to give the Warriors their biggest lead of seven at 96-89. From that point on, Randy Foye and the Nuggets caught fire and closed the game on a 25-7 run to win, 114-103.

Coach Kerr benched Draymond Green throughout the entire fourth quarter to give the Defensive Player of the Year candidate a much needed rest. Being left with minimal talent and young, inexperienced guys, the Warriors had a rough time finishing out the game, which was expected.

The loss doesn’t mean much to the Warriors who dropped to 51-13. They still hold a six and a half game lead over the second seeded Memphis Grizzlies.

The Nuggets, who have very little playoff hopes, have played well since firing head coach Brian Shaw. They have gone 5-2 under interim head coach Melvin Hunt and improved their record to 25-41.

Kenneth Faried led all scorers with 24 points and 17 rebounds on 10 of 18 shooting. He’s been the one player who has improved a lot since the dismissal of Shaw. Danilo Gallinari also put in 24 points to go with seven rebounds, while Randy Foye notched 20 points and eight assists. Jameer Nelson took over the starting point guard position in place of Lawson and posted 17 points, seven assists, and four rebounds.

Denver brutally out-rebounded Golden State, 52-35, and shot an incredible 50 percent compared to the Warriors' 42.4 percent.

The Warriors will be right back in action tomorrow, March 14th, against the league’s worst team, the New York Knicks. The Nuggets will hit the road to face the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday, March 15th.